Sky-High Brown Pelicans in Biscayne National Park

Flying over Biscayne National Park you may spot the Brown Pelican.

On the adult Brown Pelican’s head is a golden yellow crown of feathers. Their neck is white, contrasting their grayish-brown body.

A full grown pelican can reach up to five feet in length! These birds are huge, hefty, and massive. Bills of these birds can measure over 13 inches. To add to that, their wingspan can reach up to 7.6 feet. That’s one extensive bird! Although they are immense, Brown Pelicans are actually the most undersized pelican species. The most ample Pelican species is the Dalmatian Pelican, contrasting the Brown’s 7.6 feet of wingspan with 11.5 feet!

Brown Pelicans dwell year-round at coastal areas of marine habitats on the east and west coasts of the US.

These birds breed between Maryland and Venezuela as well as south California and south Ecuador. Furthermore, the Brown Pelican lays 2-3 good-sized eggs (per clutch meaning the number of eggs per season, although not all lay the same amount). Their appearance is oval shaped and chalky white. To find more about where these pelicans reside you can check sighting and range maps.

Mostly Brown Pelicans feast on fish swimming in schools near the surface of the water. How do they eat these fish? They need to be significantly speedy and take the fish by surprise.

To do this Brown Pelicans first spot their prey from the air, which can sometimes be as high as 65 feet. Then they dive headfirst from sky to sea, from air to water, from high to low, and as they plunge into the water their throat pouch expands, filling up with 2.6 gallons of water and hopefully their fish! From this dive the Brown Pelican hopes to end up with a tasty meal.

Concluding, the Brown Pelican, an inhabitant of Biscayne National Park, dives impressively for meals and is a sizable bird.