Brandt's Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant has surged: up 154% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Brandt's Cormorant
The Brandt's Cormorant (Urile penicillatus) is a North American member of the Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 27.5–35.5 in long (70–90 cm) — a large diving waterbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 13 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 3 states, most concentrated in the Northern Pacific Rainforest.
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae · Wetland birds
Notable Brandt's Cormorant Trends
No notable trend signals for Brandt's Cormorant. See the full index history below.
Brandt's Cormorant Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Brandt's Cormorant is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.01 (95% range 0.00–0.08). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±608.6%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| 2026 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| 2027 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| 2028 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| 2029 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.08 |
Where the Brandt's Cormorant Is Detected
BBS routes recording Brandt's Cormorant, sized by most recent count.
Brandt's Cormorant Population Trend by State
| California | +109% | 1972 | 10 |
| Oregon | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Washington | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
Brandt's Cormorant Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -76% | 1970 | 8 |
Brandt's Cormorant Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 154% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.