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Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican

Tarcoles, Costa Rica

Brown pelicans have a wide range on the Atlantic coast  extending from New Jersey to the Amazon River mouth. On the Pacific coast they range from British Colombia to Peru and the Galapagos Islands.  They are largely resident.

Habitat

The brown pelican inhabits  marine pelagic, subtidal and estuarine waters, mangrove swamps.  They feed in shallow water in bays and close to beaches. It rarely ventures more than twenty miles from the coast. It may roost on the water or on rocks.cliffs, piers, jetties, mudflats and beaches.

Feeding

90% of a brown pelican's diet consists of fish with anchovy and sardine the dominant species. Crustaceans, amphibians. eggs and nestlings supplement the diet, including those of its own species

Breeding

The brown pelican nests in colonies in secluded areas such as amongst sand dunes, in thickets, mangroves, on cliffs and often on islands. The male chooses the nesting site but the female constructs the nest of reeds, pebbles, sticks and leaves with a feather-lined bowl. The bowl is surrounded by a rim of debris or soil. The nest is usually one to three meters above the ground.  Both parents incubate two to four chalky-white oval eggs and raise the chicks.  Brown pelicans are seasonally monogamous. 

Wildfile Specials
  • The brown pelican is the smallest of the eight pelican species found on the planet.
  • The brown pelican, and the closely related Peruvian pelican, are the only pelicans to dive for their prey and the brown pelican is the only species to dive from a considerable height. Other pelicans species scoop up fish while floating on the surface.
  • Brown pelicans have near 100% success rate with their first fledgling reaching maturity. The second hatched chick has 60% chance of survival. The third chick has only 6% chance of survival.
  • Parent brown pelicans regurgitate predigested food to feed their chicks.
  • Brown pelicans are still hunted for their feather and their eggs on the Caribbean coasts.
  • A brown pelican in captivity lived for 31 years.
  • Brown pelicans serve as important indicators of the health of fish stocks. Numbers have diminished as a result of the impact of climate change and over-fishing on sardine stocks.
  • The brown pelican is the national bird of St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Turks and Caicos and Barbados. The brown pelican has given its nickname to Tennessee, The Pelican State. It also the state bird of Louisiana.
  • In the animated film "Finding Nemo", Geoffrey Rush voiced an amiable , talking brown pelican called Nigel.