The brown pelican is the smallest of the world’s eight pelican species and the only one that feeds by dramatic plunge-diving into the ocean. Found along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Americas, from Nova Scotia to the Amazon delta, brown pelicans are iconic seabirds of coastal habitats. Their remarkable recovery from DDT-induced reproductive failure following a total ban on the pesticide is a landmark story in conservation biology, with populations now stable and growing.
About the Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
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💡 Fun Facts
01
The brown pelican is one of the only pelican species that dives from heights of up to 20 meters at speeds exceeding 70 km/h to catch fish below the surface.
02
Pelicans have air sacs beneath the skin of their chest and neck that inflate on impact with the water, cushioning the force of their high-speed dives.
03
The pelican's throat pouch can hold up to 13 liters of water — roughly three times the capacity of its stomach — which it uses as a cast net to scoop fish.
04
Like the peregrine falcon, brown pelicans were devastated by DDT in the 1970s and removed from the US Endangered Species List only in 2009 after a successful recovery.
05
Pelicans are among the oldest bird groups on Earth, with fossils nearly identical to modern species found in deposits over 30 million years old.
📍 Where to Find This Animal
Habitat Types:
Coastal and Marine
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