Back to Field Guide
Brandt's Cormorant
Urile penicillatus
Migration Flyway
Showing primary migration corridor(s) for this species
Last Spotted Near You
About the Brandt's Cormorant
Brandt's cormorant (Urile penicillatus) 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 (pencil of hairs), 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.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Urile penicillatus
- Family
- Cormorants and Shags
- Order
- Suliformes
Similar species
Other members of the cormorants and shags family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
Know when the Brandt's Cormorant turns up near you
How rare bird alerts work →Gear for spotting Brandt's Cormorant
Optics
Best Binoculars for Beginners
You don't need to spend a fortune. These four pairs will get you birding confidently on day one.
8 min readRead guide
Cameras
Cameras for Bird Photography
From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.
12 min readRead guide