Pelagic Cormorant

The Pelagic Cormorant is a slim, small cormorant of the North Pacific, nesting on narrow ledges of steep coastal cliffs where larger cormorants cannot gain a foothold. Despite its name, it forages mainly in nearshore waters rather than far out to sea.

Appearance

Adults are entirely glossy black with an iridescent green and purple sheen visible in good light, a thin, delicate bill, and a small reddish patch of facial skin at the base of the bill. In breeding plumage, adults develop white flank patches, two small crests on the head, and fine white filoplumes scattered on the head and neck.

Key field marks

• Small size and slender build, the smallest cormorant in the North Pacific
• Thin, needle-like bill
• Iridescent green-purple sheen on the black plumage in good light
• White flank patches in breeding plumage

Similar species

Brandt's Cormorant is larger and bulkier with a thicker bill and a buffy throat patch, along with a blue throat pouch in breeding plumage rather than the Pelagic Cormorant's thin bill and red facial patch. Double-crested Cormorant is also larger with orange-yellow facial skin rather than a small red patch.

Habitat and range

Pelagic Cormorants breed along rocky, cliff-lined coasts of the North Pacific, from eastern Siberia and Japan across the Aleutian Islands and Alaska to the Pacific coast of North America, extending south to Baja California. They favor steep cliffs and narrow rock ledges, often over deep water.

Migration

Most populations are largely resident, with some individuals moving short distances along the coast outside the breeding season, particularly to avoid areas that ice over in winter. Its reliance on remote, undisturbed cliff habitat generally protects it from major human disturbance.

Behavior

Pelagic Cormorants forage by diving from the water surface and pursuing small fish and invertebrates underwater, typically foraging closer to shore and in shallower water than some other cormorant species despite the name.

Voice

Adults are generally quiet away from the nest, giving low guttural croaks and grunts during breeding displays.

Nesting and breeding

They nest on narrow ledges of steep sea cliffs, building a nest of seaweed and other debris cemented with guano, often placed in sites too precarious for larger cormorant species. Typically three to four eggs are laid, with both parents sharing incubation and chick-rearing duties.