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Pelecanus occidentalis

(Brown Pelican)

Overview

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Endangered

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Czech:

Pelikán Hnedý

Common Names in Danish:

Brun Pelikan

Common Names in Dutch:

Bruine Pelikaan

Common Names in English:

Brown Pelican

Common Names in Estonian:

Pruunpelikan

Common Names in Finnish:

Ruskopelikaani

Common Names in French:

Pélican Brun

Common Names in German:

Braunpelikan

Common Names in Guadeloupean Creole :

Grand Gosier

Common Names in Haitian Creole Frenc:

Gangozye

Common Names in Italian:

Pellicano Bruno

Common Names in Japanese:

Kasshokuperikan

Common Names in Latin:

Pelecanus fuscus, Pelecanus occidentalis

Common Names in Lithuanian:

Rudasis Pelikanas

Common Names in Norwegian:

Brunpelikan

Common Names in Polish:

Pelikan Brunatny

Common Names in Portuguese:

Pelicano-Do-Mar, Pelicano-Pardo

Common Names in Portuguese (Brazil):

Pelicano-Do-Mar, Pelicano-Pardo

Common Names in Slovak:

Pelikán Hnedý

Common Names in Spanish:

Alacatraz, Flamenco, Pelícano Alcatraz, Pelícano Pardo

Common Names in Spanish (Costa Rica):

Pelicano Pardo

Common Names in Spanish (Cuba):

Alcatraz

Common Names in Spanish (Dominican R:

Pélican

Common Names in Spanish (Honduras):

Flamenco

Common Names in Spanish (Mexico):

Pelicano Café, Pelícano Pardo

Common Names in Spanish (Nicaragua):

Pelícano Pardo

Common Names in Swedish:

Brun Pelikan

Description

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Family Pelecanidae

Large birds with enormous, pouched bills and long wings.

Physical Description

Adult : Head : white Face : Eye Color: pale yellow Facial Skin : grayish Bill: yellowish gray with scarlet cast on distal portion, and yellow tip Lower Mandible: blackish pouch Neck: white Hindneck: dark chestnut Body: Belly: blackish brown Breast: blackish brown Upperparts: silvery frosting on gray-brown Legs : Foot Color: black Foot Shape: webbed Leg Color: black.Breeding: Head: white with yellowish tinge Face: Eye Color: pale yellow Eye Ring: reddish Facial Skin: grayish Bill: rosy tinge. yellowish gray with scarlet cast on distal portion, and yellow tip Lower Mandible: blackish pouch Neck: black Hindneck: dark chestnut Body: Belly: blackish brown Breast: blackish brown Upperparts: silvery frosting on gray-brown Legs: Foot Color: black Foot Shape: webbed Leg Color: black.Immature: Head: brown Face: Eye Color: pale yellow Eye Ring: reddish Facial Skin: grayish Bill: Lower Mandible: blackish pouch Neck: black Hindneck: dark chestnut Body: Belly: white Breast: blackish brown Upperparts: brown Legs: Foot Color: black Foot Shape: webbed Leg Color: black.

Color:

Adult alternate: · White foreneck and head with yellow crown · Chestnut neck and nape · Gray-brown body plumage with slightly darker flight feathers

Adult basic: · Yellowish crown · White head and neck · Gray-brown body plumage with slightly darker flight feathers

Immature : · Dark brown overall, gradually acquiring adult plumage over three years

Size/Age/Growth

About 48 to 50 inches long, with a wingspan of 78 to 84 inches. Adults weigh about 131.2 ounces .

Habitat

Coastal shores .

Vegetation: freshwater marshes, coastal waters • Foraging Strata: Water • Center of Abundance: Lower tropical: lowlands, lower than 500 m.; tropics. • Sensitivity to Disturbancet: High

Ecology: List of Habitats : 9.1 Marine Neritic - Pelagic 10.1 Marine Oceanic - Epipelagic (0-200m)

Biology

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Diet

Various species of fish and crustaceans.

Reproduction

Brown Pelicans nest in large colonies in trees , bushes, or even on the ground .

Migration

Migratory

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001.

Similar Species

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American White Pelican, Northern Gannet

Members of the genus Pelecanus

There are approximately 45 species in this genus:

P. aethiopicus · P. africanus · P. aquilus · P. cadimurkis · P. capensis · P. cauleyi · P. conspicilatus · P. conspicillatus (Australasian Pelican) · P. conspicillatus conspicillatus · P. conspicillatus novaezealandiae · P. crispus (Dalamatian Pelican) · P. erythrorhynchos (American White Pelecan) · P. erythrorhynchus · P. erythrorynchos · P. fuscus · P. gracilis · P. grandiceps · P. intermedius · P. javanicus · P. leucogaster · P. novaezealandiae (New Zealand Pelican) · P. occidentalis (Brown Pelican) · P. occidentalis californicus (California Brown Pelican) · P. occidentalis carolinensis (Eastern Brown Pelican) · P. occidentalis murphyi · P. occidentalis muryphi · P. occidentalis occidentalis (Brown Pelican) · P. occidentalis ssp · P. occidentalis thagus (Brown Pelican) · P. occidentalis urinator (Galapagos Brown Pelican) · P. odessanus · P. onocrotalis · P. onocrotalus (Eastern White Pelican) · P. onocrotalus onocrotalus · P. onocrotalus roseus · P. philippensis (Spot-Billed Pelican) · P. philippensis crispus · P. philippensis philippensis (Spot-Billed Pelican) · P. roseus (Rosy Pelican) · P. rufescens (Pink-Backed Pelican) · P. schreiberi · P. sharpei · P. sp · P. thagus (Chilean Brown Pelican) · P. tirarensis

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 09, 2007:

Identifiers

Last Revised: 2009-06-19