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Brandt's Cormorant

Phalacrocorax penicillatusOrder: PELECANIFORMESFamily: Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)
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Family
Species Phalacrocorax penicillatus
Length35 Inches
Wingspan49 Inches

Brandt's Cormorant

Brandt's Cormorant: Medium crestless cormorant with dull black body. Face, back have slender white plumes. Bright blue throat pouch bordered with yellow. Dives for fish, crabs and shrimp. Holds wings out to dry. Strong direct flight with rapid, powerful wing beats, flies in straight line formation.

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Brandt's Cormorant: Eats fish; forages underwater, swimming with wings and feet to chase down prey and capture it with hooked bill.

● Breeding & nesting: Brandt's Cormorant: Three to six blue white eggs are laid in a large nest made of seaweed or other debris; usually nests in colonies on cliffs and rocky islands. Incubation ranges from 28 to 31 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Brandt's Cormorant: Loons lack hooked bills. Double-crested Cormorant has orange on throat. Pelagic Cormorant has red on throat and is noticeably smaller and slimmer.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight with powerful rapid wing beats.
Brandt's Cormorant Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Brandt's Cormorant: Resident along Pacific coast from southeastern Alaska south to Baja California. Preferred habitats include rocky coastal shores.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
Population
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight73.6 Ounces