Flightless cormorant

How it lives

It is the only cormorant that cannot fly, with wings about a third of the size needed for flight, so it is tied to the coast. It nests on or near the shore in loose groups, building nests of seaweed above the high-tide line. Females often lay three eggs, though usually only one chick survives. The timing of breeding is given as mostly the cooler months, April or May to October, in two sources, and as year-round in another. Average adult survival is about 90% a year.

Where it goes

Very sedentary. It lives only on Fernandina and the north and west coasts of Isabela, stays within short stretches of coast and feeds within about 200 m of shore.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (2018 assessment, downlisted from Endangered in 2011). It is found only on Fernandina and Isabela. The Galápagos National Park counted 1,914 in 2019 and 2,220 in 2020, a record since counts began in 1977. A 2024 census by the park, the Charles Darwin Foundation and partners counted 762 cormorants in the main colonies, with 86% adults and 13% juveniles. The 1983 El Niño cut the population by about half to around 400 birds. Counts depend on survey coverage, so numbers are not directly comparable.