Pygmy Cormorant has almost certainly bred in France for the first time.
The discovery, made in the Ain department during summer 2024, marks a significant milestone in the species’ rapid westward expansion.
Traditionally found from the Danube Delta to Kazakhstan and southern Iraq, Pygmy Cormorant has been steadily pushing further into Western Europe since the early 21st century. Breeding was first recorded in northern Italy in 1981, and the bird is now a regular visitor to Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.
Pygmy Cormorant is suspected to have bred in east-central France in the summer of 2024, and possibly this year too (Steve Oakes).
French status
After an isolated sighting in 1856 and a single record in 1990, records of Pygmy Cormorant in France began to increase after 2000. Today, several dozen birds winter annually, mainly dispersing first-year birds. French birders have been suggesting that it was only a matter of time before breeding occurred.
That prediction appears to have been realised in Dombes, an area north of Lyon that is dotted with fish-rich ponds. As reported at marcduquet.com, two adult Pygmy Cormorants were observed in late July 2024 at a site resembling their traditional nesting habitat in Romania and Hungary.
By mid-August, they were accompanied by two recently fledged juveniles, strongly indicating local breeding.
Pygmy Cormorant spreading west
Later in the autumn, up to seven birds – apparently juveniles – were recorded roosting with Great Cormorants in the same region. Further sightings in August 2025 at Bouligneux, also in Dombes, suggest that breeding may have occurred for a second consecutive year.
This apparent confirmation of nesting in France reflects both the resilience and adaptability of Pygmy Cormorant, a species once considered confined to its eastern strongholds. It also raises the question of how long British birders will have to wait before a first-ever national record.