Brown Pelican

Description:

The Brown Pelican occurs on both coasts of North America and is the smallest of the 8 species of Pelicans (although definitely not a small bird). Adults have yellow and white heads, while the juveniles are brown-headed. It is also a diving bird (one of only 2 of the Pelican species), diving from several meters above the water, to capture fish under water. In the 1970's, this species became threatened because of DDT thinning of the egg shells. This species incubates it's eggs under its webbed feet and the thinner shells resulted in a heavy death toll. In this part of the Gulf Coast, the species is now extremely abundant and there were literally hundreds of juvenile birds at this time of year. They have a huge "tooth" at the tip of the beak (third picture) that is a formidable weapon when threatened or irritated.

Habitat:

Rocky gulf coast area along the coast of Campeche, Mexico.