Lifestyles
Posted by Flower Elliott on March 6, 2006
Q: I just saw what I thought was a cormorant, 15 miles S. of the Columbia River, but it does not quite match any of the pictures in my bird bookks...light colored breast w/ orange bill. Did not see a crest.
Habitat: pond/lake
State: Oregon
Habitat: pond/lake
A: From your description, sounds to me like you have indeed seen a cormorant! There are 3 species of cormorants that are found in Oregon/Washington - Double-crested,Brandt's, and Pelagic. Only the Double-crested is likely to be found inland (the other two are mostly in the ocean) so I would assume this is your bird. However, sounds like you've seen an immature which does have a lighter breast. Their crests are not always obvious so this is not the best charactistic to focus on. Nice spotting and thanks for your question.
John Wiessinger ( March 7, 2006)