The Galapagos flightless cormorant is a unique species native to the Galapagos Islands, distinguished as the heaviest among all cormorant species and the only one incapable of flight. Restricted to the lava shorelines and beaches of Isabela and Fernandina islands, these birds exhibit striking features: adults have black upper plumage, dark brown underparts, and vivid turquoise eyes. Their wings are significantly reduced in size, about one-third of what would be necessary for flight. Like all cormorants, they have four webbed toes, with females generally being smaller than males. The absence of land predators led to the evolution of their flightlessness, favoring those better suited for swimming. Today, there are roughly 1,000 breeding pairs of flightless cormorants on these islands. While their wings are too small for flight, they use them to maintain balance when moving across rocky coastal terrain. The reduced oil production in their wings means they lack full waterproofing, so after diving, they often spread their wings to dry in the sun. Flightless cormorants primarily feed on eels and octopus, diving deep to catch their prey. Unlike penguins, they don’t “fly” underwater but instead fold their wings and use strong kicks from their hind legs to move. Their flexible necks are key to snatching octopus and fish from crevices in reefs and rocks. When swimming, they sit low in the water, with only their necks visible from a distance. The courtship behavior of these birds is distinctive, with pairs engaging in a ritual where they entwine their necks while rotating in a tight circle. After mating, they build nests a few meters from the shore, using materials like seaweed and debris. Eggs are typically laid between May and October, during cooler months when food is abundant, and the chicks are less likely to suffer from heat stress. Both parents share the responsibility of incubating the eggs for about 35 days until they hatch. After hatching, the male usually takes over chick care, allowing the female to begin a new breeding cycle, which can occur up to three times in a single season. As the chicks grow, they develop the species' characteristic bright blue eyes.