The brown pelican is a large coastal bird famous for its enormous bill, expandable throat pouch, and spectacular plunge-diving behavior. Unlike most pelicans, it catches fish by diving headfirst from the air into the water. Brown pelicans live along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts of the Americas, where they can often be seen flying in lines just above the waves. Their scientific name is Pelecanus occidentalis.
Brown Pelican Identification
Brown pelicans have heavy bodies, long necks, broad wings, and unusually large bills. Although their exact appearance changes with age and breeding season, their shape and low coastal flight make them easy to recognize.
Identification Features
- Body: Large, heavy, and somewhat bulky
- Bill: Long, grayish, and equipped with a flexible throat pouch
- Wings: Broad and powerful
- Neck: Long but usually folded backward during flight
- Legs: Short with fully webbed feet
- Adult plumage: Brown-gray body with a pale or white head
- Juvenile plumage: Mostly brown with a lighter belly
- Flight pattern: Slow wingbeats mixed with long glides
Adults may develop yellow, reddish, or chestnut coloring around the head and neck during the breeding season. Outside the breeding season, their colors are generally duller.
Brown Pelican Scientific Name
The scientific name of the brown pelican is Pelecanus occidentalis. It belongs to the family Pelecanidae, which includes all living pelican species.
Several regional subspecies are recognized, including the California brown pelican, eastern brown pelican, and Galápagos brown pelican.
Brown Pelican Size and Wingspan
Brown pelicans are large birds, but they are among the smaller members of the pelican family. Their long wings allow them to travel efficiently over coastal waters while using relatively little energy.
| Measurement | Typical Range |
| Body length | 39–54 inches |
| Wingspan | 6–7.5 feet |
| Weight | 4.4–11 pounds |
| Bill length | Approximately 10–14 inches |
Male vs. Female Brown Pelican
Male and female brown pelicans look nearly identical. Both sexes have similar feather colors, bill shapes, and seasonal plumage.
The most noticeable difference is size. Males are generally larger and heavier than females, with slightly longer bills. However, it is difficult to determine the sex of a single bird simply by looking at it.
White Pelican vs. Brown Pelican Size
The American white pelican is significantly larger than the brown pelican. It may have a wingspan of approximately nine feet, while a brown pelican usually has a wingspan of around six to seven and a half feet.
White pelicans also feed differently. They usually scoop fish while swimming instead of diving headfirst from the air.
Brown Pelican Habitat and Range
Brown pelicans are strongly associated with warm marine environments. They spend most of their lives near saltwater and rarely travel far inland unless following rivers, storms, or available food.
Preferred Habitat
Brown pelicans commonly inhabit:
- Coastal bays
- Beaches and shorelines
- Estuaries
- Lagoons
- Mangrove forests
- Harbors and marinas
- Rocky islands
- Coastal wetlands
They often rest on sandbars, docks, pilings, jetties, fishing boats, and offshore islands. Isolated islands are especially important nesting locations because they provide some protection from land-based predators.
Brown Pelican Range
The brown pelican occurs along the Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, and Gulf coasts of North, Central, and South America.
In the United States, it is especially common in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, California, and other coastal states. Populations also occur throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, northern South America, and the Galápagos Islands.
Some populations remain in the same general region throughout the year, while others move north or south depending on temperature, breeding conditions, and food availability.
Regional Brown Pelicans
The California brown pelican occurs along the Pacific Coast and is frequently seen in California. Many breed farther south, particularly around islands and coastal areas of Mexico.
The eastern brown pelican occurs along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is commonly associated with Florida and Louisiana.
The Galápagos brown pelican is a regional form found around the Galápagos Islands. It can often be seen resting near fishing areas, beaches, and rocky shorelines.
What Do Brown Pelicans Eat?
Brown pelicans are carnivorous waterbirds that feed primarily on fish. They usually target schooling fish swimming close to the surface.
Brown Pelican Diet
Common foods include:
- Anchovies
- Sardines
- Herring
- Menhaden
- Mullet
- Silversides
- Small mackerel
- Crustaceans
- Other small marine animals
Their exact diet depends on location and seasonal food availability. Brown pelicans may also gather around fishing boats, docks, and cleaning stations, where fish scraps are sometimes available.
People should avoid feeding them. Hand-feeding can cause pelicans to lose their natural caution, swallow fishing hooks, or become dependent on human food.
How Brown Pelicans Catch Fish
The brown pelican is one of the few pelican species that regularly catches fish through plunge-diving. It may fly several feet above the water before spotting a fish and diving headfirst.
Before entering the water, the bird rotates its body and pulls its wings backward. Air sacs beneath the skin help protect its body from the impact.
The pelican opens its bill underwater, allowing its throat pouch to fill with water and fish. It then drains the water from the pouch before swallowing the captured prey.
Brown Pelican Behavior
Brown pelicans are social birds that frequently feed, rest, migrate, and nest in groups. Their behavior is closely connected to ocean currents, fish movements, and coastal weather.
Flying and Gliding
A brown pelican in flight often holds its neck folded backward, unlike cranes and herons, which usually fly with their necks extended.
Pelicans commonly fly in straight lines or V-shaped formations. Along the coast, they may glide just above the waves and use rising air currents to conserve energy. Groups sometimes rise and fall together as they follow the shape of the water.
Diving Behavior
Brown pelicans can identify fish from the air and dive quickly toward the water. Their plunge may begin from heights of approximately 10 to 60 feet, depending on the location and prey.
Although the dive looks violent, the pelican’s body is adapted to handle the impact. However, diving repeatedly is physically demanding, and older birds may sometimes feed by scooping fish near the surface.
Social Behavior
These pelicans often gather in large groups around productive feeding areas. They may also rest close together on docks, islands, and breakwaters.
Competition occurs when fish are concentrated, but brown pelicans are generally not highly aggressive toward humans. A frightened or cornered bird may defend itself with its large bill.
Brown Pelican Nesting and Life Cycle
Brown pelicans breed in colonies, sometimes alongside other coastal birds. Nesting areas may contain hundreds or thousands of individuals.
Nesting and Eggs
Depending on the location, brown pelicans build nests on the ground, in shrubs, or in low trees. The nest may be constructed from sticks, grass, reeds, feathers, and other plant material.
Females usually lay two or three chalky-white eggs. Both parents help incubate the eggs using the warm skin of their webbed feet.
Juvenile Brown Pelican
A juvenile brown pelican is usually darker and browner than an adult. Young birds generally have brown heads, dark necks, and pale or whitish bellies.
As they mature, their heads become lighter and their adult neck colors gradually develop. It may take several years for a young pelican to gain full adult plumage.
Both parents feed the chicks by regurgitating partially digested fish. Young chicks reach into the parent’s pouch to obtain food.
Brown Pelican Lifespan and Predators
Brown pelicans can live for several decades when they survive the vulnerable juvenile stage. Their survival depends on safe nesting areas, reliable fish populations, and freedom from human-related hazards.
Lifespan
A brown pelican may live for 15 to 25 years in the wild, although some individuals survive for more than 30 or even 40 years.
Young pelicans face the highest risk from starvation, storms, predators, disease, and unsuccessful early attempts at fishing.
Predators and Threats
Eggs and chicks may be attacked by:
- Gulls
- Ravens
- Raccoons
- Feral cats
- Coyotes
- Large reptiles
- Other opportunistic predators
Healthy adult pelicans have relatively few natural predators. Their greatest dangers often come from fishing hooks, tangled lines, oil spills, plastic waste, habitat disturbance, severe storms, and reduced fish supplies.
Brown Pelican Adaptations
The brown pelican has several specialized adaptations that support its coastal lifestyle.
Its expandable throat pouch acts like a fishing net rather than a permanent food-storage bag. Fully webbed feet help it swim and launch from the water. Broad wings support efficient gliding, while air sacs beneath the skin cushion its body during dives.
Brown pelicans also have salt glands that help remove excess salt from their bodies. This adaptation allows them to drink and feed in marine environments.
Why Is the Brown Pelican Louisiana’s State Bird?
The brown pelican became Louisiana’s official state bird because of its strong connection to the state’s coastal environment. Louisiana is widely known as the Pelican State, and the bird appears on the state flag and seal.
Brown pelicans were once severely affected by pesticides such as DDT, which caused eggshell thinning and poor breeding success. Conservation work and restrictions on harmful chemicals helped the population recover.
Interesting Brown Pelican Facts
- Brown pelicans are expert plunge-divers.
- Their throat pouch can hold much more than their stomach.
- They drain water before swallowing captured fish.
- They often glide only a few feet above ocean waves.
- Juveniles look much darker than breeding adults.
- Males and females have nearly identical plumage.
- Louisiana is known as the Pelican State.
- Their webbing connects all four toes.
- They often nest in large coastal colonies.
- Brown pelicans have recovered from major population declines.
FAQs
Are brown pelicans rare?
Brown pelicans are not considered globally rare, and they can be abundant in suitable coastal habitats. However, local populations may decline because of storms, pollution, habitat loss, food shortages, and disturbance at nesting colonies.
Do brown pelicans migrate?
Some brown pelicans migrate or move seasonally, while others remain near their breeding areas throughout the year. Their movements depend on the region, weather, ocean conditions, and availability of schooling fish.
Can brown pelicans swim?
Yes. Brown pelicans are strong swimmers with fully webbed feet. They frequently rest on the water between feeding attempts and may paddle toward fish, boats, docks, or other members of their group.
Are brown pelicans dangerous?
Brown pelicans are not normally dangerous to people. However, their bills are large, and wild birds may defend themselves when frightened, trapped, or handled. Injured pelicans should only be approached by trained wildlife rehabilitators.
Why do brown pelicans fly close to the water?
Flying close to the water helps brown pelicans use air currents produced by ocean waves. This technique reduces the amount of energy needed to remain in flight while they travel along the coastline and search for fish.
