About Pelecanus occidentalis Linnaeus, 1766
The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis Linnaeus, 1766) is the smallest of the eight currently living pelican species, yet it is often one of the larger seabirds within its range. Adult individuals measure 1 to 1.52 m (3 ft 3 in to 5 ft 0 in) in total length, with a wingspan ranging from 2.03 to 2.28 m (6 ft 8 in to 7 ft 6 in). Adult weights fall between 2 and 5 kg (4.4 to 11.0 lb), which is roughly half the weight of the other two pelican species native to the Americas: the American white pelican and the Peruvian pelican. Average weight measurements from Florida recorded 3.17 kg (7.0 lb) across 47 females, and 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) across 56 males. Like all pelicans, it has a very long bill, which measures 280 to 348 mm (11.0 to 13.7 in) in length. For the nominate subspecies in breeding plumage, the head is white with a pale yellow tint on the crown, while the nape and neck are a dark maroon-brown. White lines run along the base of the gular pouch on the upper sides of the neck, and the lower foreneck has a pale yellowish patch. Elongated feathers at the center of the nape form a short, deep chestnut crest. The mantle, scapulars, and upperwing coverts (feathers on the upper surface of the wings) are silvery gray with a brownish tinge. The lesser coverts have dark bases, which creates a streaked appearance along the wing's leading edge. The uppertail coverts (feathers above the tail) are silvery white at their center, forming pale streaks. The median (between the greater and lesser coverts), primary (attached to the distal forelimb), secondary (attached to the ulna), and greater coverts (the outermost, largest row of upperwing coverts) are blackish; primary feathers have white shafts, while secondary feathers have variable silver-gray fringes. Tertials (feathers growing from the brachial region) are silver-gray with a brownish tinge. The underwing has grayish-brown flight feathers with white shafts on the outer primary feathers. The axillaries and covert feathers are dark, with a broad, silver-gray central area. The tail is dark gray with a variable silvery tint. The lower mandible is blackish, with a greenish-black gular pouch at the bottom that drains water after the bird scoops up prey. The breast and belly are dark, and the legs and feet are black. The bill is grayish-white tinged with brown, mixed with pale carmine spots. The short crest is pale reddish-brown. The back, rump, and tail are streaked with gray and dark brown, sometimes with a rusty hue. Males and females have similar plumage, but females are slightly smaller. The species is exceptionally buoyant thanks to internal air sacs located beneath its skin and within its bones. It is graceful in flight, but clumsy when moving on land. Nonbreeding adults have a white head and neck, while pre-breeding adults have a creamy yellow head. The pink skin surrounding the eyes fades to a dull gray during the nonbreeding season, and nonbreeding individuals have no red coloring; their gular pouch has a strong olivaceous ochre tint, and their legs are olivaceous gray to blackish-gray. Their irises range from pale blue to yellowish white, and turn brown during the breeding season. During courtship, the bill shifts from pinkish red to pale orange, becoming more red at the tip, and the gular pouch turns blackish. Later in the breeding season, most of the upper jaw and the basal third of the mandible turn pale ash-gray. Juvenile brown pelicans are similar in overall shape to adults, but are grayish-brown overall with paler underparts. The head, neck, and thighs are dusky-brown, and the abdomen is dull white. A juvenile male's plumage resembles that of a full-grown adult female, though the male's head feathers are rather rigid. A juvenile's tail and flight feathers are browner than those of an adult. Juveniles have short, brown upperwing coverts that are often darker on the greater coverts, and dull brownish-gray underwing coverts with a whitish band at the center. Juvenile irises are dark brown, facial skin is bluish, the bill is gray with a horn-yellow to orange tint near the tip, and the gular pouch is dark gray to pinkish-gray. Juveniles do not develop full adult plumage until they are over 3 years old; when the plumage matures, the neck feathers become paler, the upperparts become striped, the greater upperwing and median coverts become grayer, and the belly develops dark spots. The brown pelican is easily told apart from the American white pelican by its non-white plumage, smaller size, and habit of diving for fish from the air, while American white pelicans practice cooperative surface fishing. The brown pelican and Peruvian pelican are the only fully marine pelican species. Brown pelicans produce a wide range of harsh grunting calls, such as the low-pitched hrrraa-hrra, during displays. Adults rarely make low croaking sounds, while young pelicans frequently squeal. The brown pelican inhabits the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts of the Americas. On the Atlantic Coast, its range extends from the coast of New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon River. Along the Pacific Coast, it occurs from British Columbia to northern Peru, including the Galapagos Islands. After finishing nesting, North American brown pelicans travel in flocks further north along the coasts, then return to warmer waters for the winter. During the non-breeding season, the species can be found as far north as Canada. It is a rare, irregular visitor south of Piura in Peru, where it is generally replaced by the Peruvian pelican, but it can occur as a non-breeding visitor at least as far south as Ica during El Niño years. Small numbers of brown pelicans have also been recorded at Arica in far northern Chile. The species is fairly common along the coasts of California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, the West Indies, and many Caribbean islands stretching south to Guyana. Along the Gulf Coast, it lives in Alabama, Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Mexico. The brown pelican is a strictly marine species, primarily inhabiting marine subtidal areas, warm estuaries, and marine pelagic waters. It is also found in mangrove swamps, and prefers shallow waters, particularly near salty bays and beaches. It avoids the open sea, and rarely travels more than 20 miles from the coast. Some immature individuals may stray to inland freshwater lakes. Its range can overlap with the Peruvian pelican in some areas along the Pacific coast of South America. It roosts on rocks, open water, rocky cliffs, piers, jetties, sand beaches, and mudflats.
