Week 8

Brown Pelican

A wonderful bird is the pelican.
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak,
Food enough for a week,
I’m damned if I know how the hell he can!
Dixon Lanier Merritt, 1910

Indeed, the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a wonderful bird. It’s hard to mistake it for anything else – a very large bird, sporting a large bill and a pouch extending from the tip of its bill to the bottom of its throat. It is one of eight pelican species worldwide, and one of only two (along with the American White Pelican) found in North America. It’s a permanent resident along the coasts from central North America (both coasts), to the northern part of South America.

The Brown Pelican is a long-lived bird, with the oldest documented to live 43 years. It is a highly social bird, breeding in colonies of up to several thousand breeding pairs. Brown Pelicans are seasonally monogamous, faithful for the season to a new mate each year. The pair build nests on the ground on isolated islands to protect against predators and human interference.

What it looks like

The Brown Pelican is hard to confuse with any other species. Its large dark body, oversized bill, and large pouch are unlike any other bird. It is often seen perched on a marina pier, floating in water, or skimming in a flock seemingly inches above ocean waves. It is both comical and elegant at the same time – the avian equivalent of Steve Martin.

Its head and neck take on three different color phases. Just prior to breeding, its head is yellow set off by dark brown neck feathers. Its head then turns white with a brown neck while nesting. Finally, after the breeding season concludes, its head turns pale yellow with a white neck.

It is pictured here at Bodega Bay, California, next to a Pacific Harbor Seal.

How it feeds

The Brown Pelicans are excellent fishers, noted for spectacular head-first dives. From a height of about 60 feet, it circles the water in search of prey. Once prey is spotted, it extends its head out from its shoulders, tucks in its feet, and bends back its wings while rotating its body for the dive. Upon impact, it opens its bill and expands its pouch to take in up to two and a half gallons of water, hopefully along with some fish. If successful, it raises its head slowly to allow the water to drain while trapping fish. Otherwise, it will raise head quickly with open mouth, quickly draining water so it can take off and try again.

Recovery from DDT

Brown Pelicans suffered a severe decline during the mid-twentieth century, largely due to the effects of DDT. The pesticide led to thin eggshells, resulting in cracking when Pelicans tried to incubate. Pelicans incubate eggs using the skin of their feet, basically standing on their eggs. Because of the weakened shells, populations plummeted, with sharp declines throughout their range and disappearing completely from Louisiana, the “Pelican State,” by 1963. After DDT was banned, conservation strategies were implemented and, fortunately, the Brown Pelican came back. It was removed from the endangered species list in 2009. While it still faces threats from oil spills, ingesting plastics, and fishing gear entanglements, it continues to be in good shape with its current population believed to be even higher than historical levels.

Expanding range

Brown Pelicans have expanded their breeding range northward over the last 50 years. They were first documented breeding in the lower part of the Chesapeake Bay in 1992, and crossed the state line to be discovered in the Maryland part of the Bay in 1998. Two decades later, the largest colony of breeding Brown Pelicans in Maryland, with over 1,000 breeding pair, can be found in the Chesapeake Bay on Martin National Wildlife Refuge.

I helped out with two efforts to band recently hatched Brown Pelicans at Martin, including the time pictured here. The Pelican I’m holding was born earlier that year – after 6 weeks or so they are about the size of adults, but not yet able to fly. Catching the young birds so they can be banded involves traipsing around on a hot, humid day. As you approach the young bird, it regurgitates fish. It attempts to bite or scratch the hands, arms, legs, or face of intruders with the sharp tip of its bill. And once you catch it, it just might decide to defecate on you, whether an act of defense or defiance I’m not certain. All-in-all, it was a great time seeing these birds up close and being part of this conservation effort.

Related species

The American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is the only other Pelican species found in North America. Weighing in at over 16 pounds (with some much heavier), on average it’s twice as heavy as the Brown Pelican. Its wingspan is between 8 and 10 feet wide, second only to the California Condor. The body is all white, with wings white closer to the body extending into black outer wing feathers. Adults also have a large yellow bill, while the bill for juveniles is pale gray. During breeding season, adults grow a horn on the bill, which they shed after eggs are laid. Sexes are similar, including the horn.

The closely related Peruvian Pelican is found along the Pacific Coast of South America in Peru and Chile. Although it looks similar to the Brown Pelican, it is almost twice as large. Two Pelican species can be found in Africa – the Great White Pelican and the Pink-backed Pelican. The other three Pelican species include the Spot-billed Pelican found in India and Southeast Asia, the Dalmatian Pelican found in Southeast Europe and parts of Asia, including West China, and the Australian Pelican found in Australia and parts of Indonesia.

That’s it for this week. Next week I’ll talk about the Prairie Warbler.

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