Stanley Park Ecology Society - Programs- Urban Wildlife - Pelagic Cormorant

Species

Birds

Mammals

A pelagic cormorant with chicks

This bird can dive up to 100 feet deep to catch its prey! (Photo courtesy of US Fish and Wildlife)

Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)

Did You Know?

Cormorants swim with their bills angled upwards
The pelagic cormorant can spring up straight out of the water and into the air
Pelagic cormorant is said to be the deepest diver of all the cormorants

Characteristics:

Pelagic cormorants are distinguished by their black bodies with a metallic gloss
Their facial skin is a vivid magenta
Pelagic cormorants are much smaller than other cormorants and have a thinner bill which is hooked
This bird also differs from other cormorants for its white patches on its flanks during breeding season
No other species of cormorant have the red gular region (upper part of throat)

Pelagic cormorant on a cliff

The pelagic cormorant will nest on sea cliffs and rocky islands

Habitat:

The pelagic cormorant is usually found on the coast of the Pacific Ocean
This bird spends its winters in Southern Alaska

A pelagic cormorant fishing

A pelagic cormorant fishing

Diet:

The pelagic cormorant’s diet consists mainly of fish, crustaceans, and other invertebrates
The bird dives under the surface to chase its prey underwater, grabbing it with the bill

A pelagic cormorant nest

Mmm… Pelagic cormorants use their own excrement to solidify their nest

Breeding:

The pelagic cormorant's nest is made out of seaweed, feathers, and other debris and is used as a place for them to lay their 3-7 blue eggs
They use the same nest year after year

Conservation:

In the 1850’s to 1900’s, the pelagic cormorant population was greatly reduced due to human and natural disturbances

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