Brown Pelican

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 7 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #2,866 in Animals, #65,699 overall | Donates to Squidoo Charity Fund

The Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican is a large, stocky bird with a twelve inch bill and trademark throat pouch. Although it is considered a large bird, it is the smallest of the eight species of pelicans found in the world today. It is a coastal bird with two subspecies, on the west coast and another on the east. It is the only non-white pelican in existence today.

I Love to Fish!

Description 

The Brown Pelican is a large bird measuring 45 to 54 inches in length with a wing span of over six feet. It has a brown and gray body and a white head with a light brown crown. Its bill is up to twelve inches in length and the throat pouch distinct. During the breeding season its throat takes on a dark brown hue.

Males and females are similar in appearance although the male is slightly larger. The young birds have a darker head which lightens as they reach maturity.

The Brown Pelican 

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) by dave & rose

Brown Pelican (Pelec...

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) by dave & rose

Brown Pelican (Pelec...

Pelican Resting by ralph and jenny

Pelican Resting

Pelican by andycoan

Pelican

Pelican by andycoan

Pelican

4-28-09 068 Brown Pelican and CA gull hanging out around the docks by (Bill and Mavis)  - B&M Photography

4-28-09 068 Brown Pe...

Range and Habitat 

The Brown Pelican can be found along the Atlantic, Pacific, and the Gulf Coast. On the Atlantic Coast its range stretches from North Carolina south through Venezuela. On the Pacific coast it can be seen in the Southern California coast and southward as far as Chile. Once mating season is over, it will wander farther northward.

The Brown Pelican is a coastal bird preferring saltwater lagoons, sandy beaches, and waterfronts to the freshwater lakes inhabited by American White Pelican.

Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia 

Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia: A Guide to Field Identification (Princeton Field Guides)

Amazon Price: $26.60 (as of 07/10/2009)Buy Now

Shorebirds of North America, Europe, and Asia is divided into two sections for easy use. The first section shows the shorebirds in standard poses and the second shows them in flight. I prefer this field guide to the others because shorebirds rarely stay still long enough to identify them. With flight illustrations I have a better chance at identifying them.

South Carolina Shorebirds 

Mating and Nesting 

As with many water birds, the Brown Pelican's colors change during mating season. The chest and head feathers take on a golden hue. Their eyes turn from yellow to blue and the skin surrounding them becomes a bright pink. The California Brown Pelican's pouch turns a bright red as well.

The male selects a nest site and then tries to attract a female with distinctive head movements. Once mated, the nest is built. The male collects the reeds and grass for the nest and the female weaves them together. It usually takes close to a week to complete the nest building process. It can be built in a tree or a bush but is often simply a hollow on the ground. They nest in colonies, usually on a barrier island close to the mainland.

The female will lay two to three eggs within a few days of completing the nest. Both the male and female incubate the eggs and care for the young. Unlike most birds, the Brown Pelican incubates its eggs with its webbed feet.

The eggs are incubated for close to a month before finally hatching. They hatchlings are fed regurgitated food, first from the bottom of the nest and later directly from its parent's mouth. The young usually leave the nest between two and three months of age. It will be three years before they reach maturity and are able to breed.

The Brown Pelican 

YouTube thumbnail
A Brown Pelican Eating

Runtime: 0:49 | 1626 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Brown Pelican

Runtime: 0:18 | 738 views | Comments

YouTube thumbnail
Brown Pelicans Released near G...

Runtime: 2:49 | 11254 views | Comments

Diet 

As with all pelicans, the Brown Pelican dines on fish. However, rather than hunt in groups from the surface of the water, the Brown Pelican is a plunge diver. They fold their wings in and dive into the water after prey. The bill and pouch are used like a net. Once it has scooped up the fish, The Brown Pelican lets the water drain out of the pouch. It will then tip its head back and swallow the fish whole.

Full, the Brown Pelican's pouch holds up to three gallons. That's a lot of fish!

Stay in Formation!

Conservation Status 

During the 1970's the population of Brown Pelicans dropped drastically due to pesticides such as DDT. With the exception of a small population of Brown Pelicans in Florida, the bird was gone. They were placed on the Federal Endangered Species List at that time. Since the ban of DDT, the Brown Pelicans have rebounded. The total numbers are at record levels and increasing. They were removed from the endangered list in the southeastern United States but are still listed as endangered throughout the rest of their range.

The Brown Pelican is conservation success story but conservationists are still monitoring their numbers. They are highly susceptible to oil spills and are often entangled in fishing lines. The Brown Pelican are no longer listed as endangered but they are still vulnerable. It would take so little to upset the balance.

 

Careless fishermen pose a serious threat to the Brown Pelican. Fishing lines snap leaving fish hooks, line, and a struggling fish behind. The Brown Pelican is attracted to the struggling fish and get tangled in the line. Once caught, if they are not strangled in the struggle to free themselves, they starve to death.

Selecting a Pair of Binoculars 

Shorebirds by Lizzy 

101 Ways to Help Birds 

101 Ways to Help Birds

Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 07/10/2009)Buy Now

101 Ways to Help Birds offers 101 ways for individuals to help birds and bird populations as a whole, and it explains how these actions make a difference. Any bird lover knows that birds and animals alike need our help. Without it, we will lose more and we've lost enough as it is.

What is your favorite bird? 

TopStyleTravel wrote...

I love a lot of birds, but seeing Pelicans makes me think of the coast, islands or the sea. Where I most like to be. Thanks

ReplyPosted May 01, 2009

aj2008 wrote...

Fabulous lens. I have seen pelicans in Florida. Blessings to you!

ReplyPosted April 24, 2009

tdove wrote...

Thanks for joining G Rated Lense Factory!

ReplyPosted January 19, 2009

naturegirl7 wrote...

Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens links to the appropriate plexos and vote for them.

ReplyPosted October 25, 2008

JaguarJulie wrote...

We used to see lots of these pelicans in the Florida Keys. And, my mother actually lived on Pelican Lane -- need to hunt up a cool picture I have for you.

ReplyPosted October 20, 2008

 
1 of 2 pages

About the Author 

Lensmaster ElizabethJeanAllen, aka Lizzy Jean, has been a member since March 16 2008, has rated 3,690 lenses, favorited 454, and has created 169 lenses from scratch. Lizzy Jean donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "The Mallard Duck". See all my lenses

Why Birds Do That  

Why Birds Do That: 40 Distinctive Bird Behaviors Explained & Photographed

Amazon Price: $12.44 (as of 07/10/2009)Buy Now

Birds are fascinating. Their behavior is complex, often comical. Some sing while others do not. Why Birds Do That explains forty distinctive bird behaviors and is enhanced with numerous photographs. It is a must have book for both the backyard bird watcher as well as the avid birder.

Resources used to construct this page. 

Dunn, J.L. & Alderfer, J., Editors. 2006. National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition. National Geographic Society.

Peterson, T.P. & Peterson, V.M. 2002. Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, N.Y.

NatureWorks
All About Birds: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
National Audubon Society