# Brown Pelican (*Pelecanus occidentalis*)

> The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a large coastal seabird of the Americas, found from the United States down through the Caribbean and around the Galápagos. It is famous for plunge-diving from up to 20 m to catch fish such as anchovies and sardines in its stretchy throat pouch. Adults weigh 2 to 5 kg, span roughly 1.4 m, and can live 20 to 25 years. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Coastal Americas from British Columbia and Chesapeake Bay to Chile and the Galápagos; Caribbean coasts.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/pelican/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Pelecaniformes
- **Family:** Pelecanidae
- **Genus:** Pelecanus

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Pelecanus occidentalis |
| Diet | Piscivore — mainly fish such as anchovies and sardines |
| Habitat | Coastal Americas, Caribbean, and Galápagos |
| Lifespan | 20–25 years in the wild |
| Weight | 2–5 kg (4.4–11 lb); males slightly larger |
| Top speed | Up to 48 km/h (30 mph) in flight; plunge dives from 20 m |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## Plunge-diving and feeding

The brown pelican is the only pelican that hunts by plunge-diving, folding its wings and dropping from as high as 20 m to hit the water. The impact stuns small schooling fish, which the bird scoops up along with several litres of seawater in its expandable pouch. Before swallowing, it tips its bill down to drain the water, then jerks its head back to gulp the catch. Anchovies and sardines make up most of its diet, and a hunting bird may dive dozens of times a day.

## The throat pouch

The pelican's most recognisable feature is the loose, elastic pouch of skin slung beneath its long bill. It works as a dip-net rather than a storage bag, briefly holding water and fish before the water is squeezed out. The pouch also helps the bird cool down in hot coastal weather, fluttering the bare skin to release heat. During courtship the pouch and bill can flush with bright colours.

## Where brown pelicans live

Brown pelicans are birds of warm, shallow seas and rarely stray far from the coast. Their range runs along both coasts of the Americas, through the Caribbean, and out to the Galápagos Islands. They favour estuaries, bays, sandbars, and rocky islets where fish are plentiful and safe roosting sites are close by. Unlike most seabirds, they are equally at home resting on piers, jetties, and mangrove branches.

## Flight and flocking

For such a heavy bird, the brown pelican is a superb and economical flier, cruising at up to 48 km/h. Flocks travel in tidy single-file lines or V-formations, alternating a few slow wingbeats with long glides. They are experts at ground-effect soaring, skimming just centimetres above the waves to ride the cushion of air pushed up by the swell. This saves energy on long coastal commutes between feeding and roosting grounds.

## Breeding and nesting

Brown pelicans nest in colonies on islands and in mangroves, safe from ground predators. Depending on the location, a pair builds a stick platform in a tree or a simple scrape on the ground, where the female lays two or three eggs. Both parents share incubation, warming the eggs with the blood-rich skin of their feet. Chicks are naked and helpless at first and depend on regurgitated fish for several weeks before they can fledge.

## Recovery and conservation

The brown pelican is one of conservation's great comeback stories. Through the mid-20th century the pesticide DDT thinned their eggshells so badly that colonies collapsed across much of their range. After DDT was banned, populations rebounded strongly, and the species is now listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Oil spills, fishing-line entanglement, and disturbance at nesting islands remain the main local threats.

## Frequently asked questions

### How does a brown pelican catch fish?

It plunge-dives, dropping from as high as 20 m and folding its wings to hit the water. The dive stuns small fish, which the pelican scoops into its throat pouch before draining the water and swallowing the catch. It is the only pelican species that hunts this way.

### What does a brown pelican eat?

Brown pelicans are piscivores, feeding almost entirely on small schooling fish such as anchovies and sardines. They occasionally take other fish and the odd crustacean. An adult may make dozens of dives a day to meet its needs.

### How big is a brown pelican?

Adults weigh between 2 and 5 kg and measure around 1.4 m in length, with males slightly larger than females. Despite that bulk they have a broad wingspan that makes them buoyant, energy-efficient fliers.

### How long do brown pelicans live?

In the wild, brown pelicans typically live 20 to 25 years. Survival is lowest in the first year, when young birds are still learning to dive and feed efficiently.

### Are brown pelicans endangered?

No. The brown pelican is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. It was once devastated by the pesticide DDT, but populations recovered strongly after the chemical was banned, making it a well-known conservation success.

### What is the pelican's throat pouch for?

The pouch is a dip-net for catching fish, not a place to store them. It briefly holds water and prey, then the water is drained before the bird swallows. It also helps the pelican shed heat in warm coastal weather.

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List — Pelecanus occidentalis.](https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Pelecanus%20occidentalis&searchType=species)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Pelecanus occidentalis. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pelecanus_occidentalis/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/pelican/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.