Brandt's cormorants nest colonially on offshore islands and mainland cliffs and are the most common of the cormorants on the Oregon coast in summer.

In the breeding season, males are easily distinguished by their intense blue gulag pouches, displayed with a skyward pointing of the bill. They also have wispy white plumes along the side of their head and on their back, which show well against the solid black of the rest of their plumage. In bright light they have a green iridescence. During all seasons they can be distinguished from the two other Oregon species by buff-colored feathers that outline the gular region.

In Oregon, Brandt's cormorant is present all year, fewer in winter than in summer. It is confined mostly to waters within 14 miles of the coast.

Hear the call of the Brandt's cormorant

Photo by Jan Arendtsz, Flickr