Range Description

Pelecanoides garnotii formerly bred on offshore islands from Isla Lobos de Tierra, Peru, to Isla Chiloé, Chile. It was numerous (e.g. c.100,000 pairs, and perhaps more, on Isla Chañaral, Chile, in 1938⁷), but has declined significantly. In Peru, there were c.12,000-13,000 pairs on San Gallán and La Vieja Islands in 1995-1996⁴. This is considerably higher than the c.1,500 individuals estimated in the early 1990s, probably because of improved information rather than an actual increase. Two small colonies were found on Corcovado Island, Peru in 2005, extending the current breeding distriubtion c.700 km north of La Vieja, its main breeding centre⁹. A colony may also be present again on the Lobos de Afuera Islands where two individuals were sighted in 2003 and 2004¹¹. In Chile, 220 nests were found on Isla Pan de Azúcar in the late 1980s, where 500+ were seen offshore in November 1993³, and 300 nests were reported on Isla Choros in the late 1980s, which had increased to an estimated 1,550 active nests in 2001-2003⁸. It has been recorded throughout the year near Isla Chañaral, and may still breed there or on small islands to the south⁷.