Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican is familiar and interesting bird found off Broward County's coast. Even though it is easily identifiable by its awkward body type, unusual flying habits and means of gathering its food, its tale of near extinction is not widely known.

The brown pelican is long-lived and have been aged over thirty years. They typically weigh between 6 - 9 pounds and measure 4 - 4.5 feet tall with a wingspan up to 8 feet. Their gray-brown bodies are crowned with a bit of white at the very top of their heads with long, gray bills and yellowish tinted eyes. Males and females are roughly the same size. Juveniles have grayish-brown feathers above and whitish plumage below. The brown pelican can be found nesting from the Florida Keys to Chesapeake Bay.

The brown pelican is very unique in the way it catches and ingests its food. Seldom venturing out more than twenty miles from shore for feeding, they can be seen dropping straight from the sky into shallow estuarine waters with dead accuracy on their prey. They scoop up the small fish allowing the water to drain from their pouch, and then swallow the fish whole. They continue this process for most of the day, until they have eaten up to four pounds of fish. A pelican's bill is typically longer than its head and can hold two to three times more water and fish than the pelican's stomach. Contrary to popular belief, a pelican never carries fish in its pouch, but rather in their gullet or esophagus, and in extreme cases of heat the gullet is used as a cooling device.

During the mating season the brown pelican will aid its mate in the nesting process. Their nests are made of sticks, reeds, straw, grass, and palmetto leaves either on raised ground, to avoid predators and flood, or in low trees of the mangroves. The nests found in the trees are typically sturdier but made out of the same materials. Pelicans are extremely social birds and nest in colonies. Pelicans reach sexual maturity at the age of three and nest from November to June in south Florida. The males will find a nesting site and attract females with their vibrant yellowish-gold plumage.

Pelicans are monogamous, having only one mate, and take turns sitting on the nest and feeding the young once the eggs hatch. Pelicans lay one to three eggs at a time and they incubate them for approximately one month. After they hatch, the young will walk out of ground nests after about 35 days but for those in treetop nests, it is typically twice as long before the chicks' first flight out of the nest.

These birds also have some very unusual and extraordinary characteristics. The brown pelican can fly in winds up to 35 miles per hour. They are classified in the Pelecanidae family which is composed of pelicans, boobies, and cormorants. These birds are the only birds with totipalmate feet, meaning they have feet in which all four toes, including the hind one, are united by a web of skin. Brown pelicans are extremely buoyant due to internal air sacks beneath their skin and in their bones. These air sacks also aid in the pelican's flying ability and cause them to appear clumsy on land. Pelicans fly in flocks, with their heads held back on their shoulders and their bills resting on their folded necks. Sometimes they fly in a "V" formation, but normally in regular lines or single file.

The brown pelican was placed on the Endangered Species List on October 13, 1970 when their population plummeted to less than 100. The major cause of death was due to the use of the pesticide DDT. DDT causes eggshells to weaken and become so thin they often break during incubation. In 1972, DDT was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since that time, residue levels have decreased and in turn, egg shell thickness has grown. Today the brown pelican is listed as endangered only in Louisiana, Mississippi, and in the Caribbean, but they still face threats in Florida. Human disturbances, loss or degradation of mangrove forests and fishermen feeding pelicans fish that are too large for them to swallow are serious ongoing issues. However, monofilament fishing line accounts for 90% of injuries today. Pelicans often become entangled or ingest the line leading to severe injuries and often times death.

To aid in the protection of the brown pelicans, never cast a fishing line near a pelican, always discard fishing line in appropriate places, and do not feed pelicans large or cut up fish – dispose of fish carcasses where the pelicans can not get to them. If a pelican is hooked while you are fishing, do not cut the line, tighten it instead to prevent the bird from swallowing it completely, gently pull the pelican towards you, grasp the beak, remove all sinkers, cut excess line, and release the bird or call the following numbers:

• Broward Wildlife Care Center (954)524-4302 or E-mail
• Pelican Harbor Seabird Sanctuary 305-751-9840
• Florida Keys Wild Bird Center 305-852-4486

Reporting Violations or Harassment Statewide
Florida Marine Patrol 800-342-5367
Florida Resource Alert 800-342-1821

For additional information or assistance contact:
Dianne Behringer
Broward County
Extension Education Division
3245 College Avenue
Davie, Florida 33314
(954) 370-3725
Fax: (954) 370-3737
e-mail: dbehringer@broward.org