Brandt's Cormorant
Urile penicillatus
Least ConcernAves · Suliformes · Phalacrocoracidae
About
Brandt's cormorant is a strictly marine bird of the cormorant family of seabirds that inhabits the Pacific coast of North America. It ranges, in the summer, from Alaska to the Gulf of California, but the population north of Vancouver Island migrates south during the winter. Its specific name, penicillatus is Latin for a painter's brush, in reference to white plumes on its neck and back during the early breeding season. The common name honors the German naturalist Johann Friedrich von Brandt of the Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburg, who described the species from specimens collected on expeditions to the Pacific during the early 19th century.
Fun Fact
It ranges, in the summer, from Alaska to the Gulf of California, but the population north of Vancouver Island migrates south during the winter.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Live on the Pacific coast of North America, in habitats such as bays, estuaries, and lagoons.
Diet
Eat fish such as herring and rockfish, but their diet can include other fish as well as shrimp and crabs.
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance