Brown Pelican Profile

Brown Pelican
1. Found in Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coast
2. Congregate in large, diverse flocks of juveniles and adults, males and females, for most of the year
3. Was nearly extinct due to the use of its feathers for hats, then fishermen killed them believing they were destroying their catch, use of the pesticide DDT caused their eggs to be flimsy so chicks died; conservation efforts brought them back – now only of Special Concern
4. With BP oil disaster, many effected by oil; sticks to their feathers causing them to mat and separate, which impairs waterproofing and exposes their sensitive skin to extremes in temperature; lose their buoyancy; when preening to remove oil, ingest oil which can severely damage their internal organs; preening to exclusion of other crucial activities – eating and avoiding predators. They may live after careful rehab, but it’s uncertain if they’ll be able to reproduce