Pelicans

The pelican is among the largest of North American birds with a wingspan of up to six feet long and weighing up to 18 pounds. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch. Their diet consists mainly of fish, so they are always on or near the water.

There are seven species of pelicans, but the two most abundant kinds on the East Coast of our country are brown pelicans and, to a lesser extent, white pelicans.

Pelicans are a very common sight in Florida, but we don’t often see pelicans in our area. Occasionally, brown pelicans will venture this far north in the warmer months after their breeding season ends. In recent years, there have been more pelican sightings on our local waters than in the past. It may be because of warmer water temperatures, or it could be because of the large amount of bait fish in our local waters, but whatever the reason, it’s pretty cool to see them around here.

Brown pelicans can dive into water from 30 ft in the air to capture prey. After catching the prey, and a whole lot of water, they tip their beak forward to drain out the water before swallowing the fish. They can hold up to three gallons of water in their pouch. A brown pelican consumes three to four pounds of fish per day.

Historically, fishermen and the fishing industry were not kind to pelicans, viewing them as competition for their resources. But the real decline in pelicans happened in the 1960s and ‘70s from the widespread use of DDT which softened the eggshells, making them too fragile and causing them to crack before the babies could hatch. By 1963, the brown pelican had disappeared from the coast of Louisiana and only about 100 brown pelicans were in Texas. In 1970, the brown pelican was put on the endangered list.
Through strong conservation efforts, the brown pelican was taken off the endangered list and is now thriving. The white pelican’s number are also strongly on the rise.

Other than humans, the pelican really has no other predators. Once in a blue moon, an unlucky bird may lose its life to a shark, orca or seal, but it is uncommon. So, hopefully, one day soon, you will be lucky enough to spot one of these majestic birds in our area!