03/24/2025
Did you know that when a California brown pelican hits the water, it’s with so much force that fish 6 feet below the surface are often stunned?
The California brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, is a plunge diver that, when feeding, makes impressive dives from 10 to 30 feet above the surface and are able to dive from as high as 100 feet. They also have air sacs that help cushion their bodies from the impact of the dive.
California Brown Pelicans weigh about 8 pounds and measure a little over 4 feet in length, with a wingspan of over 6.5 feet. They have short, dark legs, long, broad wings, a large, heavy all-brown body, and a large bill. Adults have a white neck and belly, pale yellow head, a brown body, brown eyes, and a throat pouch that is reddish orange.
Their throat pouch, when full can hold up to three gallons of water and fish. It is the largest pouch of any bird in the world. When pelicans feed, they toss their head back to position the fish head first and swallow. It is said that brown pelicans can eat as much as 4 pounds of fish in one day.
The Brown Pelican was nearly driven to extinction due to pollutants such as DDT and was declared endangered in 1970 under the Endangered Species Conservation Act, the precursor to the current Endangered Species Act. Since then, the bird has staged a remarkable comeback. In 2009 the Brown Pelican was removed from both the California and Federal Endangered Species Lists.
Cool Facts
• The only breeding colonies of California brown pelicans in the western United States are on West Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands.
• Brown pelicans can dive from 60 feet in the air.
• Brown pelicans can live up to 40 years old.
• A pelican's throat pouch can hold over 2 gallons of water.
