The red-faced cormorant, red-faced shag or violet shag, is a bird species of the family Phalacrocoracidae.
Region
North Pacific Rim
Typical Environment
Occurs from the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands and coastal Alaska west through the Bering Sea to the Russian Far East, Kamchatka, and the Kuril Islands, with some presence around Hokkaido. It favors rugged marine coastlines, offshore islets, and sea stacks where updrafts aid access to cliff ledges. Foraging is typically in nearshore waters over rocky substrates and kelp beds, but it may range several kilometers offshore. Wintering birds remain around ice-free coasts, shifting locally with prey availability and sea conditions.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 200 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the red-faced shag or violet shag, this cormorant is a sleek North Pacific seabird known for its vivid bare red facial skin that intensifies in the breeding season. It nests on sheer sea cliffs and offshore stacks, often in mixed colonies with kittiwakes and murres. A powerful pursuit diver, it uses its feet and partially its wings to chase fish underwater. Breeding adults show striking filamentous white plumes and a glossy violet-green sheen.
Temperament
social at colonies, solitary to small groups when foraging
Flight Pattern
strong direct flight with rapid wingbeats low over the water
Social Behavior
Colonial nester on narrow cliff ledges and sea stacks, often near other seabirds. Pairs are seasonally monogamous and build nests of seaweed and grasses cemented with guano. Typical clutches are 2–4 eggs, with both parents incubating and feeding the young.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet at sea, but at colonies gives low croaks, grunts, and guttural rasping calls. Vocalizations are used in courtship, territory defense on ledges, and parent–chick interactions.
