by Shannon Farlouis

Created on: November 14, 2009

Louisiana State Bird-The Brown Pelican

The Louisiana state bird is known as the brown pelican. There are eight species of pelicans and the brown pelican is the smallest. They tend to live in the warm regions of the south. The brown pelican was listed as an endangered species about forty years ago.

Just recently the brown pelican is no longer listed on the brink of extinction. The brown pelican differs from the larger white pelican because of its brown body and it can be seen diving for fish from the air. They live in warm regions of the south. The brown pelicans nearly became extinct forty years ago. Most of this was due to chemical spills along the coast and pesticides.

The brown pelican is the state bird of Louisiana and the national bird of the Caicos Islands. Brown pelicans fly low over the water's surface and they usualy nest on an island. Just recently the brown pelican was removed from the extinction list. In the early 1970's the government protected the brown pelican under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Also the use of certain pesticides were banned. This contributed from saving the beautiful state bird from extinction.

The brown pelican has a long pouched beak in which it can catch and carry fish in. They are a unique species of pelican in which they dive from the air to the water to catch fish. They have short legs and webbed feet. The brown pelican sometimes follows fishing boats in hopes of fish. Brown pelicans live for about 25-30 years.

It is great to know that our state bird, the brown pelican, is alive and well and is no longer listed as a bird on the endangered species list. They really are amazing beautiful birds. The brown pelicans are shorter than the white pelicans. They usually have on orange color at the tip of their heads. Their feathers are usually a dirty color brown mixed with white. It is really fun to see them make a dive straight from the sky to the water for fish.

You can find the brown pelicans along the coast in the south. If you ever visit Louisiana, don't forget to visit the brown pelicans. You may even get followed by one if you're on a fishing boat. They main course is fish. Let us try to keep the pelicans from becoming an endangered species again by keeping our coasts clean and and paying attention to the pesticides we use. I love brown pelicans.

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