Pelicans

Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis

Family Pelecanidae (Pelicans)

Size: 50"

Season: Summer

Habitat: Coastal waters

The majestic brown pelican enlivens coastal waters with its spectacular feeding process of plunge-diving for fish, headfirst, from some height. It often flies in formation inches from incoming swells, gaining lift and rarely needing to flap its wings. This pelican has a massive bill and bleached gray-brown plumage overall with a white head and neck. In breeding plumage the head is pale yellow with a brown-red nape patch and a black strip down the back of the neck. The brown pelican is quite gregarious and nests in trees or in slight depressions in the sand or rocks. The breeding adult is illustrated.