Colours of Wildlife: Brown Pelican
Created | Updated Jan 18, 2015
Brown Pelican
Willem is a wildlife artist based in South Africa. He says "My aim is simply to express the beauty and wonder that is in Nature, and to heighten people's appreciation of plants, animals and the wilderness. Not everything I paint is African! Though I've never been there, I'm also fascinated by Asia and I've done paintings of Asian rhinos and birds as well. I may in future do some of European, Australian and American species too. I'm fascinated by wild things from all over the world! I mainly paint in watercolours. . . but actually many media including 'digital' paintings with the computer!"
I bring you another American critter this time. I am indebted to my friend Dracoflameus from DevaintArt for the photo I used for this painting. The Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, is found along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. In South America it is found on the Atlantic coast as far east and south as the mouth of the Amazon River, and on the Pacific coast as far south as central Chile. Brown pelicans also occur in the Galapagos islands. Its scientific name simply means 'Western Pelican' (compared to most other species of pelican which are found in Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia). This species is one of only two pelicans native to North America and is easily distinguished from the American White Pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchus, by its dark colour and smaller size. In South America, the very similar Peruvian Pelican used to be considered the same species, but is much larger. This pelican occurs on the Pacific coast from Peru southward, overlapping with the Brown Pelican over parts of its range.
Though this is the smallest species of pelican, it is still a very large bird. Brown pelicans are about 105-135 cm/42"-54" in overall length, much of that being due to their enormous bills. They weigh from 2.75 to 5.5 kg/6-12 lbs. Their wingspan can be up to 2.5 m/8.2'. Like other pelicans, their lower jaws are flexible and support a huge pouch, which they use to scoop up fish and other tasty marine critters. Pelicans and their nearest relatives are also remarkable in having all four of their toes connected by webbing; other web-footed birds like ducks only have webs between three of their toes. Having all their toes webbed makes it impossible for pelicans to perch on thin twigs like many other birds do; at most they can stand flat-footed on rocks or thick branches.
Giant Divers
Brown pelicans are most noted as being, with the Peruvian pelican, the only pelicans, and the largest birds in the world, to use the 'dive-bombing' strategy of feeding. This entails flying over the water, watching for fish, and then when spotting them, plummeting down at them very rapidly so as to catch them unawares. Kingfishers, for instance, hunt this way. The brown pelican's way of diving is quite similar to that of the gannets, which are relatives of pelicans, though much smaller. Like gannets, brown pelicans fold their wings in close to their bodies as they dive from the air, to minimize air resistance so that they can build up as much speed as possible. This speed not only contributes to the element of surprise, but also helps them to dive to quite a considerable depth. Birds are very buoyant, thanks to their water-resistant feathers as well as to the air sacs which spread throughout their bodies and even their bones. They tend to pop to the water surface like corks, once submerged. But with the great speed imparted to them just before they strike the water, brown pelicans are able to snatch fish from a yard or more underwater. Their long necks and bills give them extra reach. Apart from the brown pelican, only the Peruvian pelican hunts in this way. All other pelicans hunt by paddling on the water surface and scooping the fish out using their pouches as nets. Also, the brown and Peruvian pelicans are the only species that hunt exclusively in the ocean, the others often being found on inland lakes. Brown pelicans sometimes occur in mangrove swamps, regions usually at the mouths of tropical and subtropical rivers where some species of trees are specialized to grow in the intertidal zone, adapted both to tolerate brackish or salty water, as well as to being submerged and exposed daily by the tides. Mangrove swamps are populated by a set of critters adapted to the same circumstances and can be very rich feeding grounds for shorebirds.
In spite of its ungainly appearance, and clumsiness on land, the brown pelican is an excellent flier. All pelicans have very long and broad wings, making them adept at soaring. The brown pelican in particular, is able to fly slowly, almost hovering, over the ocean, making use of the air currents over the waves. This allows it to watch closely for fish below.
Targeting a fish, the pelican will dive, in essence, folding in its wings and letting itself fall like a rock. Just before striking the water, it stretches out its neck directly at the fish. Underwater it opens its mouth, the pouch and long bill providing a huge area for catching and trapping the fish. The pelican's buoyant body then makes it pop back to the surface, where it swallows the fish. Pelicans don't store fish in their pouches; instead, they swallow all the fish that they catch whole. If they have chicks, they will carry fish to them in their gullets, rather than in their pouches.
Brown pelican juveniles sometimes hunt in the more typical pelican paddling-and-scooping way. Adult pelicans sometimes learn another trick – hanging around human boats or fishermen with an eye to stealing scraps or even an entire fish or two! On the other hand, certain aggressive marine birds like gulls, skuas and frigate birds sometimes chase pelicans who have just fed, forcing them to regurgitate their food, and snatching it. This is called kleptoparasitism.
Adult brown pelicans are quite gregarious, usually being found in flocks fishing, roosting and breeding together. Breeding colonies are often situated on small offshore islands, but can be in mangrove swamps. A pair of pelicans will build their nests in trees or bushes, or if they are on predator-free islands, on the ground. Tree and bush nests are built from sticks, reeds and dry grass, while ground nests are scooped out from the soil, which is used to build up a raised rim. The nests are lined with feathers. The clutch usually consists of 2-3 eggs. Newly hatched pelicans are naked and quite ugly! They have a leathery, reptilian appearance. Both parents bring food to them, regurgitating fish into their mouths. Yum! They mature slowly for birds, the parents bringing food to them for a period of 8 to 10 months. Sub-adult brown pelicans are drabber than the adults; they take two to five years to attain full sexual maturity and adult plumage.
Not too long ago, brown pelicans in the United States were in trouble. Pesticides, especially DDT, remained in residue in the environment long after use, and had the unexpected effect of causing a thinning of the shells of birds' eggs. This affected not just the brown pelican, but other species, notably raptors, as well. It led to many eggs breaking before they could hatch, seriously reducing the birds' reproductive success rate. (Note that residual DDT here in Africa has been found to cause serious problems to humans as well, such as babies born with physical defects.) A ban on the use of DDT in the US has led to the pelicans recovering, and they number in the hundreds of thousands today. They are still under protection by law, but can be considered safe for the moment.
