Ungainly landing

This Great Cormorant was coming in to land near the central coast of Portugal. This image shows well the wet, somewhat bedraggled feathers of the bird. Unlike many birds, Cormorants do not produce oil to preen with. This makes them much more adept at diving and chasing fish underwater, but also makes their feathers become waterlogged quickly. This greatly inhibits their ability to fly. Hence, they often look ungainly when they land or take off.