There are no flock members in this family.

Pelecanus occidentalis- Brown Pelican

I Recovered

View range map of Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican (length 48") is the only species of Pelican which is found only along ocean shores. It is also the only dark colored Pelican and the only plunge diver. The Brown Pelican is resident year round along the coast of the southern United States. The Brown Pelican soars over coastal areas sighting its prey, it then dives into the water. The bill of the Brown Pelican has an expandable pouch in which it can trap fish; first allowing the water to drain from the sides of the bill it then swallows the fish. The Brown Pelican nests in Mangrove trees or on the ground, in colonies on coastal islands. The female lays 3 eggs which both birds incubate with their webbed feet. The chicks are altricial, (featherless, helpless, blind) and are cared for in the nest by both parents who regurgitate food for them. Populations of Brown Pelican went into rapid decline due to the effects of the pesticide DDT. The pelican egg shells became so thin that the parents often crushed them during incubation. Since the banning of DDT pelican populations have increased and the species is making a very successful recovery. The Brown Pelican was removed from the Endangered Species list in part of its range in 1985, and delisted in the remaining parts of its range in 2009.

There are no flock members in this family.

There are no flock members in this family.