Cormorant of the Air

The cormorant is a rather funny little bird, being most closely related to the ones found among the marshes. Judging by the text though, the cormorant has found for itself a place among even the owls themselves. Before you wonder how this thing could be, let's first find out somewhat about these birds. Perhaps therein we might find a clue as to why their behavior is so. It seems that these resemble most other birds in shape and appearance being roughly of similar size. Like most other birds, these too have wings, being able to fly. Given their largely marsh dwelling temperament, some also are known to dwell around the sea. These birds have gained rather fearsome reputations as being mighty hunters except among men. Unlike them, many men have learned to hunt and fish over many hundreds of years.

It is for food or sport as the cormorant has learned this from somewhere down the line. They likely knew how to do so all along. Baby birds borne of cormorant parents will follow along on these fishing trips once able to fly. Thus, the knowledge is retained being mostly taught and partly instinctual down through the generations. Only birds such as the cormorant and the owl know how to hunt instinctively. As much as this bird may love to take flight and wing freely through the sky, it is prone to the wiles of men. These are then trapped for diving down to the cool waters beneath to catch an unseen prey. Some men have in their cunning taken to taming and catching these well. Apparently, cormorants are very good at herding fish back into nets, you see. While fiercely independent, it is a very good thing then that these have wings. Once caught, they form very close attachments with their human captors and haven't need after awhile of any guidance, not at all.

And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

Leviticus 11:16-17