Brown Pelican

Pelecanus occidentalis Linnaeus, 1766

Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, is a pelican of coastal North, Middle and South America, breeding from southern California to Ecuador, including the Galápagos, and from Maryland through the Caribbean. Outside the breeding season it ranges north to south-western coastal British Columbia and south to northern Peru. It is one of the American pelicans and one of the two that feed by plunging into water. In breeding plumage the head is white with a yellow wash on the crown, while the nape and neck are dark maroon-brown.

Order

Pelecaniformes

Family

Pelecanidae — Pelicans

Breeding range

North America, Middle America, South America: coastal s California to Ecuador including Galápagos (e Pacific Ocean); Maryland through Caribbean (w North Atlantic Ocean)

Nonbreeding range

n to sw coastal British Columbia, s to n Peru