Urile urile
(Brandt, 1837)
Red-faced Cormorant
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
© Dubi Shapiro; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
© Michael Stubblefield; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
© David McQuade; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
© Phillip Edwards; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
© Andrew Spencer; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
© Tammy McQuade; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104653
Element CodeABNFD01060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderSuliformes
FamilyPhalacrocoracidae
GenusUrile
Synonyms
Phalacrocorax urile(Gmelin, 1789)
Other Common Names
Cormoran à face rouge (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Urile and Nannopterum were formerly synonymized with Phalacrocorax (e.g., AOU 1983, 1998), but genetic data (Kennedy and Spencer 2014, Kennedy et al. 2019) show deep divergences within Phalacrocorax largely congruent with differences based on osteological data (Worthy 2011 (AOS 2021).
Conservation Status
Review Date2006-02-22
Change Date1996-11-20
Edition Date2006-02-22
Edition AuthorsGotthardt, T. A., and G. Hammerson. Reviewed by Douglas Causey, Harvard University.
Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
Breeds in northern Japan and Kuril Islands and through the Commander and Aleutian islands and coatal mainland Alaska to Prince William Sound, north to Bristol Bay and Cape Newenham, and in the Bering Sea in the Pribilofs and Nunivak Island (Johnsgard 1993). Generally throughout breeding range in winter.
Threat Impact Comments
Threats include natural and introduced predators, human exploitation, harvest and disturbance, oil spills and nearshore fishing activities. See State threat comments for more detailed information.
Ecology & Habitat
Description
A medium-sized cormorant; males slightly larger than females. Adult basic or post-breeding plumage is blackish with glossy purple, bronze and green hues over the body and single-crested head, with dull reddish facial skin and yellowish bill with black tip and culmen (Causey 2002). Alternate or pre-breeding plumage is similar but with a striking white patch on the flank, brighter red facial skin and the presence of two head crests and white plumes trailing off the neck and/or breast area. Chicks hatch naked and are soon covered with brownish down, and juvenile birds are almost uniformly dark brown (plumage and bill) with feathered facial area, and develop naked forehead when reproductively mature (about 3 years) (Johnsgard 1993). Closely resembles the Pelagic Cormorant, which overlaps in range, but is larger with generally bigger proportions (Causey 2002).
Habitat
Closely associated with rock-bottom coastlines of North Pacific marine islands and isolated areas of mainland Alaska, Kamchatka and Japan; often close to shore in water less than 200 m deep. Nests on steep, relatively inaccessible slopes, on ledges averaging about 40 cm wide (Johnsgard 1993), including rocky sea islands alongside gulls, murres, and auklets. Roosts on offshore rocks or protected cliff outcroppings and forages in water near shore (< 20 km) (Causey 2002).
Ecology
Species is exclusively marine, coming to land only to breed or roost (Causey 2002). Predators include foxes, gulls, corvids, and raptors (e.g., bald eagle); glaucous-winged gull and ravens may be serious egg predators in some areas; human disturbance resulting in predation by American crows or other predators; attempted predation by river otter was a significant decimating factor on Kodiak Island (see Johnsgard 1993).
Reproduction
Eggs are laid in May-June in Alaska; mean laying date in mid- or late May but time of nesting varies between years. Clutch size usually is 2-4. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts about 31-34 days (average). Young fledge at average age estimated at about 7 to 8+ weeks (beginning in mid-August or as late as early September in Alaska). Productivity and local abundance may vary greatly from year to year.
Terrestrial Habitats
Cliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | S3 | Yes |
Roadless Areas (2)
Alaska (2)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| College Fiord | Chugach National Forest | 1,130,818 |
| Kenai Mountains | Chugach National Forest | 306,600 |
References (27)
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- Ainley, D. G., and R. J. Boekelheide, editors. 1990. Seabirds of the Farallon Islands. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.
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- Lensink, C. J. 1984. The status and conservation of seabirds in Alaska. Pages 13-27 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Publ. No. 2.
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