Brandt's Cormorant

Brandt's Cormorant is a robust seabird found along rocky Pacific coastlines of North America, closely tied to productive nearshore waters where it forms large, dense breeding colonies. It is bulkier than the Pelagic Cormorant with which it often shares habitat.

Appearance

Adults are blackish overall with a bronzy iridescent sheen, and show a distinctive buffy or tan throat patch. During the breeding season, the throat pouch turns a striking cobalt blue and pale, hair-like filoplumes appear scattered over the head and neck.

Key field marks

• Buffy or tan throat patch, bordered by a vivid blue pouch in breeding season
• Bronzy-black overall plumage
• Stockier, thicker-necked build than the Pelagic Cormorant
• Pale filoplumes on the head and neck during breeding

Similar species

Brandt's Cormorant is bulkier than the Pelagic Cormorant, with a thicker bill and neck, and is readily distinguished by its buffy throat patch and (in breeding season) brilliant blue pouch, features absent in the more slender Pelagic Cormorant.

Habitat and range

Brandt's Cormorant is found along the Pacific coast of North America, from British Columbia south to Baja California, favoring rocky shorelines, offshore islands, and productive upwelling zones rich in schooling fish. It rarely strays far from marine coastal waters.

Most populations are resident along the coast, though some post-breeding dispersal occurs, particularly in response to shifting prey availability.

Behavior

Brandt's Cormorants dive from the surface to pursue schooling fish such as anchovies and herring in nearshore waters, often foraging in large, tightly packed flocks that can number in the hundreds when prey is abundant.

Voice

They are largely silent at sea, but give low guttural croaking calls at breeding colonies.

Nesting and breeding

Brandt's Cormorants nest in dense colonies on coastal cliffs, rocky islands, and offshore rocks, building nests from seaweed, grass, and other vegetation. They typically lay three to four eggs, and colony size and breeding success can vary significantly with ocean conditions and prey availability from year to year.