The Red-legged Cormorant is a coastal South American cormorant. A white neck patch, red legs, and yellow bill stand out. It occurs on the Pacific coast from Peru to Chile and along southernmost Argentina on the Atlantic.
It has a large white neck patch and pale scalloping on the upperparts. The bill is brightly coloured and the legs are red. Immature birds have a more muted pattern than adults.
It perches on jetties, nearshore rocks, and cliffs. It is often seen alone or in small groups along the coast.
One chick-rearing adult tracked with GPS at Punta Atico, Peru, in 2018 travelled from its nest towards deeper offshore water.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.