Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican
Brought nearly to the brink of extinction during the DDT era, Brown Pelican populations recovered and now appear to be stabilizing. DDT is associated with eggshell thinning, leading to birds' inability to produce young. In Louisiana, a population of Brown Pelicans once estimated at 50,000 disappeared. In Texas and California, only a few nesting pairs remained where populations had flourished. Populations recovered after DDT was banned.

Pelicans are among the largest flying birds. The Brown Pelican, the smallest of the world's eight species, has a wingspread of 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 feet and a body length between 42" and 54".

The Brown Pelican eats almost exclusively fish. In Florida, menhaden is the most common fish prey, comprising up to 95 percent of the diet according to some studies. In Pacific populations, northern anchovies and other schooling fish predominate. Unlike other pelican species that forage by scooping fish while swimming, the Brown Pelican is a plunge-diver. From heights of 10 to 60 feet, the pelican selects individual fish swimming near the surface. It flexes its wings back and retracts its head as it plummets toward its target. Upon hitting the surface, the pelican pulls its wings all the way back and extends its neck. It opens its mouth under water and captures the fish in its capacious bill and pouch. Unlike the related Northern Gannet, the Brown Pelican does not plunge very far below the surface and usually catches fish within a yard of the surface. Although it spends only about two seconds under water, it requires up to a minute to drain the water from its pouch and swallow the fish. Occasionally groups of Brown Pelicans plunge together into schooling fish. Interestingly, the plunge-diving Brown Pelican is the only pelican species that is not primarily white in color. Apparently, white plumage makes surface-feeding birds less visible to fish.

In Florida, Brown Pelicans nest on mangrove islands, building large bulky nests from sticks and vegetation. Brown Pelicans may gather so much nest material that they may eventually defoliate the island. Where mangroves are not available, Brown Pelicans may build their nests in shrubs or on the ground in shallow scrapes lined with feathers or debris. On the West Coast, nests are typically found on the ground on steep rocky slopes.
Brown Pelican Range Map

Brown Pelicans often fly in a line just above the breakers, riding the bow wave of turbulent air created by waves. They also fly in formation when higher up in the sky, flapping and gliding in unison to improve flight efficiency. Brown Pelicans are generally not migratory, although young birds may disperse considerable distances after the breeding season, and flocks move north along the coasts before returning south for the winter. Immature birds sometimes wander inland. The Brown Pelican breeds in colonies locally from Maryland south along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts to southern Texas, from southern California south to the Gulf of California, in scattered locations in the West Indies, and along the coastline of South America from Venezuela to Chile.

Description: Juveniles are largely brown overall with whitish underparts. As they approach adulthood, they develop white heads and necks and their underparts start to become dark gray brown. The upperparts become increasingly streaked with gray. Brown Pelicans do not attain the definitive adult plumage until they are about three years old. During the second or third year the bill turns yellow or orange, and the eye color lightens. West Coast birds develop reddish pouches.

During the breeding season the heads of adults turn golden, with golden-yellow extending down the side of the neck, forming a V-shaped patch at the front of the neck just above the breast. The rest of the neck is dark brown. In nonbreeding plumage the golden color is lost and the head and all of the neck becomes white. Bill and flesh colors and the red color of the pouch in western birds intensify during the breeding season.