Pelagic Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant has collapsed: down 81% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Pelagic Cormorant
The Pelagic Cormorant (Urile pelagicus) 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 25 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 4 states, most concentrated in the Northern Pacific Rainforest.
- Family
- Phalacrocoracidae · Wetland birds
Notable Pelagic Cormorant Trends
No notable trend signals for Pelagic Cormorant. See the full index history below.
Pelagic Cormorant Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Pelagic Cormorant is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.01 (95% range 0.00–0.07). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±901.8%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2026 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2027 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2028 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
| 2029 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.07 |
Where the Pelagic Cormorant Is Detected
BBS routes recording Pelagic Cormorant, sized by most recent count.
Pelagic Cormorant Population Trend by State
| Alaska | -77% | 1985 | 9 |
| California | -74% | 1970 | 8 |
| Oregon | +108% | 1976 | 4 |
| Washington | -53% | 1971 | 4 |
Pelagic Cormorant Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -45% | 1988 | 6 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -91% | 1970 | 15 |
Pelagic Cormorant Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 81% 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.