Brown Pelican Identification Guide
A large, unmistakable coastal seabird known for its spectacular plunge-diving and huge bill pouch, easily separated from the much larger American White Pelican.
Read the full Brown Pelican encyclopedia entry →
Key Field Marks
- Very large waterbird with an enormous bill and expandable throat pouch, a heavy body, and short legs.
- Adult breeding: dark brown body, whitish-yellow head, and a rich chestnut-brown hindneck.
- Adult nonbreeding: head and neck mostly white, lacking the chestnut neck patch.
- Juvenile: overall grayish-brown above with a whitish or pale belly, gradually molting into adult plumage over a few years.
Separating It From Similar Species
- American White Pelican: much larger, with an all-white body and black flight feathers visible in flight; White Pelicans feed by dipping their bills while swimming on the surface in coordinated groups and do not plunge-dive, unlike Brown Pelican.
- Cormorants: superficially similar dark coloring and coastal habitat, but cormorants are much smaller-billed, swim low in the water, and lack the massive pouch and bill.
- No other regularly occurring North American waterbird combines the huge bill/pouch with a dark brown body and plunge-diving habit.
Habitat, Range & Season
- Found along coastal waters, bays, estuaries, and beaches of the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts of North America, from the mid-Atlantic and California south through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
- Largely a saltwater species, rarely seen far from the coast or on inland freshwater bodies.
- Present year-round in much of its range, with some northward post-breeding dispersal along the coasts in late summer.
Voice & Behavior
- Famous for spectacular plunge-dives from heights of several meters straight into schools of fish, using its pouch to scoop up prey and drain water before swallowing.
- Often seen flying low in single-file lines just above the wave crests, alternating flaps and glides.
- Largely silent away from breeding colonies, where adults give low grunting calls.
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell a Brown Pelican from an American White Pelican?
Brown Pelican has a dark brown body and plunge-dives from the air for fish, while American White Pelican is entirely white-bodied with black wingtips and feeds by dipping its bill while swimming, without diving.
Where do Brown Pelicans live?
They live along coastal waters, bays, and beaches of the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts of the Americas, rarely straying far from saltwater.
How does a Brown Pelican catch fish?
It plunge-dives directly into the water from the air, scooping fish into its large expandable throat pouch before draining the water and swallowing.
What does a breeding adult Brown Pelican look like?
Breeding adults have a whitish-yellow head, a chestnut-brown hindneck, and an otherwise dark brown body, distinct from the plain white head of nonbreeding birds.