Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Picture used with permission from: Barbara Samuelson
General:
Under perfect conditions a pelican can live to be 30 plus years old. A healthy adult will weigh from 5 to 8 pounds and eat 3 to 4 pounds of fish per day. A captive pelican will only eat 1/2 to 2 pounds per day.
Diet:
In the wild, pelicans catch surface minnows for food by diving from the air and using their pouch. They do not carry fish there but use their pouch to cool their body temperature ( like a dog would pant) and quiver to assist in the metabolism of their food.
Body Attributes:
The wingspread of a pelican ranges from 6 to 7 feet, tip to tip. They can fly in calm winds up to 35 miles per hour. Males are larger than females and have a longer bill.
Living Quarters:
In Florida, pelicans build their nests in mangrove trees out of twigs and grasses brought by the male to the female for her to construct.
Breeding:
Wild pelicans are polygamous but captive pelicans are 50 percent monogamous. The female lays 2 to 4 eggs in the late winter or early spring and after about 30 days of incubation by both the male and the female, the chicks hatchs. Young chicks are fed regurgitated fish and the older chicks feed from the parents' pouch. Young pelicans learn to feed themselves by copying adults in the wild. Some of the behavior may be instinctive. They are full grown and able to fly by 11 to 12 weeks of age, and sexually mature at 2 1/2 to 3 years of age.
Color:
Immature pelicans are brown with a white belly and mature pelicans have a blackish belly with a silverish back. Adults have a white head and reddish brown neck during the summer and a yellow head and white neck during the winter. This colorful plumage helps in attracting a mate during mating season. A yellow head is mating plumage.
Enemies:
Natural enemies of the pelicans are man and occasionally raccoons in the nesting colonies as well as a shark once in a great while. Pelicans are victims of oil spills, pesticides, fishing hooks, fishing lines, guns, arrows, cars, boats, power lines, and various freak accidents. Eighty Five percent of injuries can be attributed to Man. A fish line on a bird can create a tourniquet situation. A barb from a fish hook left in a bird can cause a severe infection.
Status:
In the mid-1970's the brown pelican was in danger of extinction. None were left in Louisiana, where it was the state bird. It was on the endangered lists for Texas, California and Florida. Most experts had believed that the sensitive birds were unable to reproduce in captivity. In the spring of 1975, an egg was hatched at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Florida. Breeding pelicans were then sent to stock the programs of the other states.
