Brown Pelican
The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a large coastal seabird of the Americas and the only pelican that plunge-dives for fish. It nearly disappeared from the United States because of pesticide pollution and has since recovered.
The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a large coastal seabird of the Americas and the only pelican that plunge-dives for fish. It nearly disappeared from the United States because of pesticide pollution and has since recovered.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Brown Pelican in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Plunge Diving
The pelican folds its wings and crashes into the water from heights of up to about 20 meters, scooping fish into its expandable throat pouch. The pouch holds water that it drains before swallowing the fish. Air sacs under the skin cushion the impact.
DDT and Recovery
Like the bald eagle, the brown pelican suffered eggshell thinning from DDT. It was listed as endangered in 1970, and removed from the federal list in 2009 after populations recovered. See Bald Eagle.
Oil Spills and Storms
Pelicans were heavily affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes also destroy colonies on low islands.
Brown Pelican at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pelecanus occidentalis |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Pelecaniformes |
| Family | Pelecanidae |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia: Aves (Birds) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Large gray-brown seabird with a huge stretchy throat pouch; plunge-dives headfirst from the air to scoop fish. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2018 |
| Family | Pelecanidae |
| Fishing method | Plunge diving |
See Also
- Bald Eagle — another bird saved from DDT
- Peregrine Falcon — another recovery story