# Brown Pelican

*Pelecanus occidentalis*

The Brown Pelican is the only pelican species that hunts by diving headfirst into the water from heights of up to 60 feet.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Pelecaniformes › Pelecanidae › Pelecanus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** aquatic
- **Habitat:** Coastal waters, sandy beaches, lagoons, and mangrove swamps.
- **Diet:** Mainly small schooling fish such as menhaden, anchovies, and silversides.
- **Range:** Atlantic Coast of North America, Pacific Coast of the Americas, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Islands
- **Size:** Length: 4 feet; Wingspan: 6.5-7.5 feet; Weight: 5-10 lbs.
- **Lifespan:** 15-25 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Entanglement in fishing gear, oil spills, and plastic pollution.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless but defensive if cornered. Maintain a 20-foot distance. Never feed them, as it disrupts natural hunting and leads to injury. If a pelican is hooked by fishing line, do not cut the line; reel it in slowly and use a towel to cover its head before removing the hook, or contact a wildlife rescuer.

## About

The brown pelican ( Pelecanus occidentalis ) is a North American bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae. It is one of three pelican species found in the Americas and one of only two that feeds by diving in water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile, including the Galapagos Islands. The nominate subspecies in its breeding plumage...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/4a01d128-7a1b-47ca-9495-02678d8283a4
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4328
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelecanus occidentalis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/172548873/medium.jpg (Jay Pruett, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.