Brown pelican
The Brown Pelican is a large seabird notable for its distinctive brown plumage and impressive wingspan of six feet (two meters). Recognized for its remarkable fishing technique, it dives dramatically into the water to catch fish, utilizing its long bill and a sizable throat pouch that can hold up to two gallons (7.5 liters) of water and prey. This species is the smallest among the seven pelican types and primarily inhabits coastal areas rich in warm waters, where it nests on rocks and cliffs, occasionally using trees as well.
During their breeding season, which varies by location and food availability, Brown Pelicans often gather in flocks, displaying social feeding behaviors, such as working together to corral fish. The chicks, which hatch featherless, are nurtured through regurgitated food by both parents and develop rapidly, learning to fend for themselves by nine weeks of age. Although the Brown Pelican faced significant population challenges and was declared endangered in 1970, conservation efforts, including habitat protection, led to its removal from the endangered list in 2009. These birds typically live for 15 to 25 years, contributing to the ecological richness of their coastal habitats.
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Brown pelican
The brown pelican can be found along the coastal colonies, which coastal colonies depends on the time of year. This large seabird is aptly named for its brown plumage, or feathering, and is famous for its dramatic dives into the water to catch fish. The brown pelican has the characteristic long bill with a massive two-gallon (7 1/2-liter) pouch for scooping fish into its mouth. It is the smallest of the seven pelican species.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Pelecanidae
Genus: Pelecanus
Species: Occidentalis
The six-foot (two-meter) wingspan of the brown pelican is twice as long as the bird's body, which weighs seven pounds (three kilograms). Brown plumage, or feathering, covers this pelican's body, and its neck is white and brown with a yellow crown on the top of its head. As with all pelicans, the distinguishing feature of this seabird is its large beak with a two-gallon (7 1/2-liter) pouch that stretches from the bottom of the beak.
The brown pelican is famous for how it catches its food. While it cruises through the air, up to 65 feet (twenty meters) above the water, it scans the water for fish. When a meal is in sight, the pelican plunges straight down into the water. As it enters the water, its wings slow the bird, and its gaping beak and throat pouch fill with water and fish. Closing its beak, the pelican bobs to the surface, drains the water from its pouch, and swallows its prey. When a pelican hits the water, it makes a loud sound which can be heard from half a mile away. The speed and force of such an impact would injure the bird if it did not have special air pockets beneath its skin. These air pockets act as shock absorbers. Pelicans are known to work together when they feed. A group of pelicans beat the water with their wings to frighten the fish into a dense school. In doing this they easily scoop the fish into their bills. Pelicans do not carry food in their pouches because they then would then be too heavy in front and would not be able to fly. They also been known to eat carrion, or dead animal flesh, or may even eat the young of other breeding pelicans.
Brown pelicans live on the rocks and cliffs in coastal areas of warm water. Rarely do they fly very far inland or out to sea. Rocks and cliffs in their habitats may provide perching places for flocks of up to fifty birds which feed and roost together. Breeding season varies slightly from place to place and may depend on how much food is available and climate. On the western coasts of the birds' range breeding season is in the spring. Flock sizes increase during this time, and several birds may fly in v-formation over their habitat, just as geese do.
The male and female line a shallow hollow in the ground with feathers. Birds in some locations nest in trees and build platforms of sticks and reeds. Males and females in both nesting groups take turns incubating between two and five eggs. One month later, the chicks hatch. When they hatch they do not have any feathers, but after two weeks they have soft, fluffy down. Their parents regurgitate fish for the young, which means they bring back from their stomachs fish they have already chewed and partially digested. Chicks in the ground-nesting colonies form groups when they are six weeks old. All the parents in the colonies bring food to the groups and are able to identify their own chicks and feed them. The young learn to feed themselves by the time they are nine weeks old.
The life span of brown pelicans is fifteen to twenty-five years. The brown pelican was declared endangered in 1970. After the Environmental Protection Agency banned bird trade in 1972 and instituted a protection of the bird's nesting islands, the species was removed from the endangered list in 2009.
Bibliography
“Brown Pelican.” American Bird Conservancy, 18 Aug. 2023, abcbirds.org/bird/brown-pelican/?gad‗source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw8diwBhAbEiwA7i‗sJQjFj2C6hgIkgbLnAALinJvs9TbWEj1HapDmPGbSF0xxqsS8dU01tBoCeUgQAvD‗BwE#region-range. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.
“Brown Pelican.” Audubon, 27 Feb. 2024, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/brown-pelican. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.
Scott, V. “Critter Catalog.” Pelecanus Occidentalis, 2012, www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pelecanus‗occidentalis/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.