Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican is a beloved and highly recognizable coastal bird of the Americas, famous for its spectacular fishing technique of plunging directly into the water from significant heights. It is smaller and darker than the American White Pelican and behaves quite differently.

Appearance

Adults have greyish-brown body plumage, a whitish or pale yellow head, and a dark brown neck during the breeding season. The bill and throat pouch are large, and juveniles are duller brown overall with a pale belly.

Key field marks

• Large size with a long bill and expandable throat pouch
• Greyish-brown body plumage, distinctly darker than white pelicans
• Pale head with a dark brown neck stripe in breeding adults
• Characteristic head-first plunge-dive from the air into the water

Similar species

The Brown Pelican is easily distinguished from the much larger, mostly white American White Pelican by its smaller size, dark brown-grey plumage, and its habit of plunge-diving rather than foraging while swimming.

Habitat and range

Brown Pelicans inhabit coastal marine waters, beaches, mangroves, and estuaries along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts of the Americas, from the United States south through Central America to northern South America. They are rarely found far inland or over open ocean, staying close to productive coastal waters.

Some populations make local seasonal movements, but many Brown Pelicans remain resident year-round in favorable coastal habitats.

Behavior

Brown Pelicans hunt by flying above the water and plunging headfirst from heights of several meters, folding their wings back just before impact to scoop up fish in their expandable throat pouch, which they then drain of water before swallowing prey.

Voice

Adults are mostly silent, but low grunts and croaks may be given near nesting colonies.

Nesting and breeding

Brown Pelicans nest colonially on coastal islands, in trees, shrubs, or directly on the ground, typically laying two to three eggs. The species suffered severe population declines in the mid-20th century due to the pesticide DDT thinning eggshells, but has since fully recovered following the chemical's ban.