Pelagic Cormorant vs Red-faced Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Urile pelagicus

Huge1.8 kgMarine

This is a smallish cormorant which measures 25 to 35 in (64 to 89 cm) in length, with a wingspan of about 3.3 ft (1.0 m) and a weight of 52–86 oz (1,500–2,400 g) when fully grown. Adults in nonbreeding plumage are all-black with a metallic iridescence. In breeding plumage they grow two short crests (one on top of the head and one at the nape), white thighs, and scattered white filoplumes on the head and neck. The long thin bill and the large feet with all-webbed toes are black throughout the year, while the patch of dark naked skin below the eye turns a vivid magenta in the breeding season.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Alan Vernon · CC BY 2.0

Red-faced Cormorant

Urile urile

Huge2.1 kgMarine

The adult bird has glossy plumage that is a deep greenish blue in color, becoming purplish or bronze on the back and sides. In breeding condition it has a double crest, and white plumes on the flanks, neck and rump, and the bare facial skin of the lores and around the eyes is a bright orange or red, giving the bird its name; although the coloration is less vivid outside the breeding season, the red facial skin is enough to distinguish it from the otherwise rather similar pelagic cormorant. Its legs and feet are brownish black. Its wings range from 25 to 29 cm (9.8 to 11.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Art Sowls · Public domain

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Pelagic Cormorant and Red-faced Cormorant.