One of the 8 pelicans on WAnimals
Birds · Pelecaniformes · Pelecanidae
Pelecanus occidentalis
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
It is the only pelican that plunge-dives to fish, dropping from heights of up to 18 metres.
Weight
2.7 kg – 5.5 kg
Size
1 m – 1.4 m
Life expectancy
15 years
Diet
Piscivore
Feeds mainly on fish.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Colony
Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: SeaWorld/Busch Gardens; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animal Diversity Web; NPS (California Brown Pelican); About Animals; Audubon Field Guide; Animalia.bio; FWC; NHPBS NatureWorks; Texas Parks & Wildlife
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 14.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Brown Pelican — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Based on what we already know about brown pelican.
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The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
