by Dena Bolton

Created on: November 05, 2010

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is the only non-white pelican in the world. It has a dark brown body, whitish head, and a dark brown hind neck during the mating and breeding season. It also has a long flat bill with an extensible pouch. While it is a large bird - 45-54 inches and 7 pounds, 6 ounces - it is still the smallest of the seven species of pelicans. It is usually quiet, except around its nesting area. Then you might hear it make grunting sounds.

The brown pelican lives along the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina (though this writer has seen them at Virginia Beach, Virginia) all the way down to Venezuela. On the Pacific Coast, it can be found from southern California southward to Chili. (After the breeding season, brown pelicans will fly north as far as southern British Columbia.) These birds can be found along sandy beaches, at lagoons, and along waterfronts and around pilings. They are also the only species of pelican that cannot be found around inland lakes.

Brown pelicans nest in colonies, usually on islands. They will build nests in trees, low shrubs, or on the ground. They lay 2-3 chalky white eggs, which they incubate by standing on them. This method of incubation also makes them vulnerable to pesticides, which leach into the water and consequently their food supply. The pesticides make the eggshells thin, which can cause them to crack as the parents are standing on them to keep the eggs warm. As a result, brown pelicans quit breeding in many parts of their range. As the use of harmful pesticides has been reduced, brown pelicans have started to return to their former nesting sites.

Another thing that brown pelicans do that other species of pelicans do not do is dive for their food. They will halfway fold their wings and plummet from the air into the surf. The birds scoop both water and fish into the pouch on their bills. They will then allow the water to drain out before tossing their heads back to eat the fish they have caught. Oddly enough, seagulls will sometimes try to steal the fish right out of the pelican's pouch as the larger bird is allowing the water to drain away. Gulls will even sit on the brown pelican's head waiting on fish to steal. Maybe you will see this strange - and funny - behavior next time you are at the beach and looking for brown pelicans.

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