Hi Ed and all,
Thanks for sharing this very cool cormorant! To me, this looks like a
Double-crested Cormorant with unusual bright red pigmentation or staining
in the facial and lower bill skin. Though I've never seen one, Red-faced
Cormorants in adult plumage seem to typically have a bright red area all
around the eye, with bluish color on the lower mandible below the red face
with some limited red outlining it. The things that stick out the most to
me here are the large, powerful bill and bulky head when compared to the
Pelagic behind in the photos. Red-faced is expected to have very similar
structure to a Pelagic, while this is clearly larger.
Still interesting how it got to be so red though!
Btw, I definitely agree that checking coastal cormorants would be wise.
Red-faced would be a bit of a long-shot, but Neotropics have come far
enough up the California Coast by now that they should show up one of these
years on our coast, if not sooner inland.
Caleb
Caleb
On Thu, Oct 14, 2021, 4:37 PM ed mcv <ed.mcvicker@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
While going through photos I shot yesterday on the S. Jetty/Yaquina R., I
discovered this cormorant with a red face. Unfortunately, I didn't pick it
up while in the field and couldn't chase it this morning...
I don't think it warrants the excitement I felt upon discovering it in the
photos, but I would love to be wrong. I'm interested to hear if others
come to the same conclusion as I about the ID on this bird.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10665268@N04/albums/72157720026283697
Thanks,
Ed McVicker
