Pelagic Cormorant
Phalacrocorax pelagicus
About This Species
Look for this slender, dark cormorant along rocky coastlines and cliffs of the North Pacific, where it nests in small colonies on narrow ledges and dives for fish in nearshore waters, often swimming low with just its head and thin neck above the surface. Breeding adults show a metallic green-and-purple sheen and a red throat patch, most visible at close range in good light during the spring and summer breeding season. Coastal boat trips or clifftop viewpoints during the breeding months offer the best chance to see nesting colonies and courtship displays.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep at least 50 metres from nesting cliffs, since these colonies are on precarious ledges where flushed adults can dislodge eggs or chicks, and approaching by boat too closely can cause panic-flight from the whole colony.
- Seabird nesting sites are protected under various coastal and wildlife laws across the countries bordering the North Pacific, though the specific rules and enforcement differ between the US, Canada and Russia, so defer to local guidance rather than a single standard.
- Viewing from a boat that maintains a slow, steady course rather than idling directly beneath a colony reduces disturbance.
LCAvesSuliformesPhalacrocoracidae
Seasonal Activity
634,271 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Suliformes
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.