Creature Feature Encyclopedia: Aves

Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis

Brown Pelicans plummet into the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea in search of food. Unlike any other pelican, the Brown Pelican dives anywhere from 10 to 33 feet into the ocean. Its expandable throat pouch allows it to get a whole fish in its mouth at once. Brown Pelicans nest in great colonies on the ground, on coastal cliffs, or even in trees. During the mating ceremony, males collect nesting materials to present ritually to their partners. The female then lays two to three white eggs, which hatch after a month of incubation. The young fly from the nest 11 to 12 weeks later. Brown Pelicans inhabit both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North and South America, and can also be found on the Galapagos Islands as well as on several Caribbean isles.

~A Fly in the Sky © 1996