# Pelagic Cormorant (*Urile pelagicus*) The Pelagic Cormorant is a sleek, black bird that loves to dive underwater to catch fish. You can often see them perched on rocks or floating on the ocean waves, showing off their beautiful greenish eyes. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 9 - **Habitat:** Coastal areas ![Pelagic Cormorant](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Phalacrocorax_pelagicus_swimming.jpg&width=800) Photo: Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phalacrocorax_pelagicus_swimming.jpg) ## Appearance The Pelagic Cormorant is a slender, medium-sized seabird with glossy, iridescent dark green and purplish-blue feathers. It has a small head, a long, thin neck, and a slender, hooked bill. In breeding season, it sports two distinct white flank patches and a double crest, distinguishing it from other cormorants. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Suliformes - **Family:** Phalacrocoracidae - **Genus:** Phalacrocorax ## Interesting facts - After a dive, they stretch out their wings to sun-dry their feathers, looking like tiny caped heroes! - Baby Pelagic Cormorants are born without feathers and look like little black dinosaurs! - These amazing birds can dive over 50 meters deep to catch their favorite meals! - They use a special throat pouch to carry multiple fish back to their hungry chicks. ## Special abilities - **Underwater Navigator:** Pelagic Cormorant can propel itself underwater using powerful webbed feet, helping them chase fast-moving fish. - **Salt Filter:** Pelagic Cormorant has special glands near its eyes that filter out salt, helping them drink seawater without harm. - **Plumage Power-Up:** Pelagic Cormorant has wettable feathers that reduce buoyancy, helping them dive deeper and hunt more efficiently underwater. - **Clifftop Constructor:** Pelagic Cormorant can build stick nests on narrow cliff ledges, providing safe havens from predators. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 63-76 cm - **Wingspan:** 91-107 cm - **Weight:** 1.5-2.5 kg - **Lifespan:** 15-20 years - **Speed:** 60 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 2-5 - **Incubation:** 26-31 days ## Diet & Feeding These diving birds mostly eat small fish and marine invertebrates from coastal waters. - **Age differences:** Young birds are fed by parents and gradually learn to hunt for themselves. - **Primary Foods:** Pacific sand lance, Herring, Rockfish, Shrimp, Squid - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Bald Eagle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bald-eagle) (*Haliaeetus leucocephalus*) — Eagles sometimes prey on eggs and young chicks. - **Eaten by:** [Glaucous-winged Gull](https://www.snappit.app/explore/glaucous-winged-gull) (*Larus glaucescens*) — Gulls raid nests for eggs and small chicks. - **Hunts:** Pacific Sand Lance (*Ammodytes hexapterus*) — A primary food source, often hunted in schools. - **Hunts:** [Pacific Herring](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pacific-herring) (*Clupea pallasii*) — Regularly dives for herring in coastal waters. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming. - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. - [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and don't try to touch them. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Pelagic Cormorant? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Pelagic Cormorant? 63-76 cm ### What is Pelagic Cormorant's wingspan? 91-107 cm ### How much does Pelagic Cormorant weigh? 1.5-2.5 kg ### How long does Pelagic Cormorant live? 15-20 years ### How fast can Pelagic Cormorant move? 60 km/h ### What does Pelagic Cormorant eat? These diving birds mostly eat small fish and marine invertebrates from coastal waters. ### Where is Pelagic Cormorant usually found? Coastal areas ## Where to spot - [East Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/east-park) — Washington, US · Park - [Illahee State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/illahee-state-park) — Washington, US · State Park - [Monterey Bay Aquarium](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/monterey-bay-aquarium-california) — California, US · Aquarium - [Monterey Bay Aquarium](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/monterey-bay-aquarium) — California, US · Zoo - [Alaska SeaLife Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/alaska-sealife-center) — Alaska, US · Zoo - [Olympic National Park Headquarters Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/olympic-national-park-headquarters-historic-district) — Washington, US · Historic District [View all places to see Pelagic Cormorant](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/pelagic-cormorant) ## Watch - [Play video: Pelagic Cormorant](https://www.snappit.app/videos/pelagic-cormorant) - [YouTube](https://www.snappit.app/published_manually) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Pelagic Cormorant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pelagic-cormorant)