Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Least Concern
The Brown Pelican is the smallest pelican species but still an impressive bird! They're the only pelican species that plunge-dives into the water to catch fish, folding their wings and dropping from heights of 60-70 feet.
Their expandable throat pouch can hold up to 3 gallons of water - that's more than their stomach can hold! They drain the water out before swallowing the fish.
Size
About the size of a large goose
Large (40-60 cm)
Wingspan: 200 cm
Weight: 3500 g
Colors
brown
gray
white
yellow
Habitat
coastal
Diet
fish
Fun Facts
- ✨A pelican's pouch can hold 3 times more than its stomach!
- ✨They're the only pelicans that dive headfirst into water to catch fish.
- ✨Brown Pelicans nearly went extinct from DDT but have fully recovered.
- ✨Baby pelicans eat regurgitated fish soup from their parents' pouches!
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Great news! This bird is doing well. There are lots of them in the wild, and they have safe places to live and find food.
Population trend: increasing 📈