The word pelagic refers to the open ocean. When birders take pelagic birding trips with companies like Westport Seabirds, they venture dozens of miles offshore to find species that are rarely observed from the mainland.
One might expect that a bird with pelagicin its name can only be seen during a pelagic trip. But when birders leave port for the Pacific Ocean, the “pelagic” species often stay close to the marina.
Cormorants are large, long-necked seabirds. Of the 40 species in the world, six live in North America —and three are found in Washington: double-crested, Brandt’s, and pelagic cormorants. The double-crested cormorant inhabits both saltwater and freshwater and is found throughout Washington. The Brandt’s and pelagic cormorants are limited to the coastlines. Ironically, Brandt’s cormorant often ventures farther offshore than the poorly named pelagic cormorant, which generally stays close to shore and thus is not truly pelagic.
The pelagic cormorant is the smallest of Washington’s three Pacific cormorants. It’s found year-round along the outer West Coast and inland waters. Its range extends from the Aleutian Islands to southern California. It also inhabits the shorelines of northeast Asia.
It can look black at first glance, but in good light it shows iridescent dark-green feathers with blue and purple tones. Breeding adults have partially red faces and prominent white rump patches.
Primarily a fish eater, it can dive to depths of 40 meters and stay underwater for up to two minutes. Less social than other cormorants, it often forages alone or in pairs. It plucks bottom-dwelling fish from rocks and attacks schools of fish from below; it also eats marine worms, crustaceans, and other invertebrates.
To reduce buoyancy and dive deeper, a cormorant’s feathers are not fully water-resistant like those of other water birds. That’s why they often stand with wings spread to dry their flight feathers.
The pelagic cormorant may nest in colonies or as solitary pairs on rocky cliffs and outcroppings. Bridge girders, caissons, and pilings are also used, such as Bremerton’s Warren Avenue Bridge. Nesting material consists of seaweed, moss, sticks, and other debris and is cemented to the ledge with the cormorant pair’s own guano. Clutch size is usually three or four chicks, which are cared for by both parents.
Pelagic cormorants have been killed by people who believe they pose a threat to the fishing industry, though they seldom dine on commercially fished species. Other hazards, including gill-net entanglement and oil spills, have contributed to population declines over the past 50 years. As a result, it’s monitored closely by conservation groups as a species of special concern.
Although misnamed, the pelagic cormorant is an interesting seabird. It gives us a lens through which to view the world of marine birds and brings greater awareness to the threats they face. Misnamed or not, the pelagic cormorant is a reminder that the marine life close to shore faces real pressures.