Brown Pelican

The brown pelican is a large seabird found along the coasts of the Americas, from the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the United States south to South America, notable as the smallest of the world's pelican species even though it remains a substantial bird with a wingspan of over two metres. It has greyish-brown plumage, a long bill with an expandable throat pouch, and it is one of the few pelican species that feeds by plunge-diving from heights of several metres directly into the ocean to scoop up fish, stunning prey on impact before draining water from its pouch and swallowing. Brown pelicans nest colonially on coastal islands, often alongside other seabird species, and they were once severely threatened across much of their U.S. range by the pesticide DDT, which caused catastrophic eggshell thinning. Following the U.S. ban on DDT and protective measures, populations recovered dramatically, and the species was removed from the U.S. endangered species list in 2009.