Brown pelican

In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt set aside the first National Wildlife Refuge, Florida's Pelican Island, to protect the Brown pelican from plume hunters.

Appearance

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), also called American brown pelican or common pelican, is the smallest of the six different species of pelicans in the world. They can reach a length of 54 inches long, weigh 8 to 10 pounds, and have a wingspan between 6-1/2 feet and 7-1/2 feet.

Brown Pelican basks in the sun by Andrea Westmoreland

They can be identified by their chestnut-and-white necks; white heads with pale yellow crowns; brown-streaked back, rump, and tail; blackish-brown belly; grayish bill and pouch; and black legs and feet.

During the breeding season, the plumage (feathers) turns bright yellow on the head and white on the neck, which both fade to dull yellow and brown during non-breeding.

This bird has a long beak up to 13.5 inches (34.3cm) in length with a hooked tip. As is characteristic of all Pelecanidae family members, the brown pelican has a large throat pouch used for catching prey. Brown pelicans have a dark brown body and white, beige, or pale yellow head. In breeding plumage, the back of the brown pelican’s neck is a bold dark brown. Juvenile brown pelicans typically have brown heads that match body coloration and a white stomach. The short legs and webbed feet of the brown pelican are black in color.

Range

The brown pelican, inhabits the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts of North and South America. On the Atlantic Coast, the species can be found from Nova Scotia to Venezuela and on the Pacific Coast, from British Columbia to south-central Chile and the Galapagos Islands. On the Gulf Coast, the species is found in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Mexico.

Habitat

Brown pelicans don’t typically occur more than 20 miles (32.3km) offshore.

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