15 Cool and Interesting Things about Brown Pelicans

California’s most fascinating bird – the Brown Pelican can make spectacular dives into the water. The large brown bird has a blackish belly, a white head, and a neck. It has amazing feet, marvelous hunting habits, and throat pouches that can catch many fishes. Here are amazing fifteen brown pelican facts that blow your mind.

1. Brown pelicans make mesmerizing dives into the water from a height of about 65 feet.
2. The group of pelicans has many collective nouns such as “brief,” “pod,” “pouch,” “scoop,” “squadron,” and “rookery.”
3. Brown pelicans are the only species to dive into the water from above 30 ft/9m to capture prey. Once they capture the prey along with water, they tip their bill downward to drain all water before consuming the fish.
4. Pelican’s pouch or gular pouch is utilized as a dip net to capture prey. After that, they instantly swallow fishes into their stomachs. It helps to maintain the balance when they are flying.
5. The Brown Pelican is Louisiana’s state bird.
6. Male Pelicans attract a female by selecting a nest site where male pelicans tempt female pelicans to build a nest together.
7. Pelicans weigh around 15 pounds and have a 9-foot wingspan.
8. The Pelican’s throat carries a lot more than its stomach does.
9. The average lifespan of a brown pelican is around 10 to 25 years. The oldest brown pelican existed for 43 years.
10. There is a poem about the brown pelican, written by Dixon Lanier Merritt-

“Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican,

His bill can hold more than his belican,

He can take in his beak,

Food enough for a week,

But I’m damned if I see how the helican.”

11. Brown Pelican is weird on the land whereas the bird is a smart and beautiful flyer. The group of pelicans flies in the form of V-shape and in collective nouns, it is referred to as “squadron.” They fly lower in the water and take advantage of the slope lift. They look beautiful when they do that.
12. Gulls snatch fish from the Brown pelican’s pouch when it drains the water out.
13. The brown pelican almost ceased nesting in North America in the 1960s and 1970s because of DDT and other related pesticides. In 1988, the bird was removed from the endangered species list. They made a spectacular comeback in recent years.
14. There are eight species of pelicans, only brown pelicans live mainly on coastal shores. They are social birds. They build nests or feed together in large groups called colonies.
15. Brown pelicans are also known as ”common pelicans,” and they are found on the coasts of North America.