Brown pelican

Pelecanus occidentalis

A coastal pelican of the Americas, famous for folding its wings and plunge-diving from the air to catch fish.

Key facts

Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a carnivore animal classified as Bird · Pelecaniformes · Pelecanidae.
Primary habitats are coast · open ocean, with a range across Nearctic · Neotropical · Atlantic Ocean · Pacific Ocean.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is herd, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A coastal pelican of the Americas, famous for folding its wings and plunge-diving from the air to catch fish.
Lives along coasts, bays, mangroves, and harbors from North America to northern South America, mostly in nearshore waters.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Lives along coasts, bays, mangroves, and harbors from North America to northern South America, mostly in nearshore waters.

The body is brown to gray-brown, with a long bill and large pouch. Adult head and neck colors change with season.

It flies low over the sea and dives steeply onto fish schools, then rests in groups on posts, rocks, or beaches.

Small schooling fish such as sardines and anchovies dominate its diet. It scoops water and fish, then drains water before swallowing.

Colonies nest on islands or in mangroves. Adults feed chicks by regurgitating fish from the pouch.

Its recovery from DDT impacts is a classic conservation success, but nesting sites and coastal fish stocks remain important.