About Phalacrocorax gaimardi (Lesson & Garnot, 1828)
The red-legged cormorant (scientific name Phalacrocorax gaimardi (Lesson & Garnot, 1828)) is a medium-sized seabird with a long neck, streamlined body, webbed feet, and a long, thin hooked bill. It measures 71 to 76 centimetres (28 to 30 inches) in body length, has an average wingspan of 91 centimetres (36 inches), and weighs between 1.3 and 1.5 kilograms (2.9 to 3.3 pounds). There is no sexual dimorphism between males and females of this species. The species has a distinct, easily recognizable appearance. Breeding adults have smoky grey bodies with a slightly paler underside. They have scattered patches of white filoplumes behind the eyes and extending down the neck. Their wing coverts have a speckled, silvery grey look, with broad black wing tips, and their tail is also black. Their eyes are green, surrounded by sixteen tiny blue marks. The bill is yellow, shading to orange toward the base, while the gular skin is a bright orange or red, and the legs and feet are a striking coral red. Non-breeding adults are similar in appearance to breeding adults, but lack the white filoplumes, have less silvery (more dark grey) wing coverts, and have duller coloured bills and gular skin. Juvenile red-legged cormorants typically have paler, brown plumage with white speckling around the throat. Juvenile plumage colour varies widely between populations on Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Juveniles have grey eyes, bills and gular skin ranging from black to orange, and legs and feet that range from dull orange to reddish black. The red-legged cormorant is native to the coasts of South America. On the Pacific coast, its range extends from Macabi Island, Peru to Chiloe Island, Chile. Small isolated populations are found on the Atlantic coast scattered across Santa Cruz, Argentina. The species rarely occurs further south than the Strait of Magellan. Red-legged cormorants nest in sparse groups on steep rock faces, including coastal cliffs, rocky islets, and sea caverns. Their speckled grey plumage makes them nearly impossible to spot against these rocky outcrops, with only their colourful bills and feet giving them away. They forage in inshore waters and shallow offshore waters.
