Brown Pelicans

Brown Pelican Forest Bay Pond IBA

I can’t help but look at Brown Pelicans and think they are modern-day dinosaurs. While they weren’t alive during the time of dinosaurs, the species dates back some 30 million years. Wow!

Humans almost found a way to wipe out the North American population in the 20th Century. Birds of the World sums up the situation as follows:

“Despite its longevity and popularity, the Brown Pelican nearly disappeared from North America between the late 1950s and early 1970s. Extensive scientific investigations revealed the culprit to be human-made organochlorine pesticides entering the marine food web. The pesticide endrin killed pelicans directly, whereas DDT impaired reproduction by causing individuals to lay thin-shelled eggs that broke under the weight of incubating parents. Both effects led to serious population declines. Breeding colonies along the Pacific and Gulf coasts of the United States were particularly hard hit. So vast was the devastation that, ironically, the species disappeared altogether from Louisiana, the "Pelican State," by 1963. In 1970, the Brown Pelican was placed on the Federal Endangered Species List. The plight of this and other species led to a ban on the use of DDT in the United States in 1972 and a reduction in the use of endrin during the 1970s. Reproduction soon improved, and pelican numbers began to rise. Recovery was so successful that the Brown Pelican was removed from the Endangered Species List in the southeastern United States in 1985 and in the remainder of its range in 2009. Once a symbol of the detrimental effects of pollution in marine ecosystems, the Brown Pelican now symbolizes the success of wildlife-conservation efforts.”

Another positive outcome of the Endangered Species Act!

Brown Pelican Transitioning Through Breeding Plumage

So what about the Caribbean population, in particular, the Anguilla birds?

Brown Pelicans are breeding residents of Anguilla. A quick view of my eBird records shows that 2017 was a big year for this species. Large groups of over 30 birds were recorded in a single location. Since then, the numbers have been significantly lower.

There are many possible reasons for this downturn. The biggest may have been Cat 5 Hurricane Irma in September 2017 and subsequent monster storms in the region.

If you speak with local fisherfolk, they will tell you that Pelicans follow the bait fish wherever they travel. St. Thomas is not out of the range for this species.

Brown Pelican Breeding Colony Prickly Pear West

Brown Pelicans are known to breed on Prickly Pear West. Recent restoration programs on this and other offshore cays will positively impact this species over the long term. The breeding process is highlighted in the selection below:

“Brown Pelicans are highly social year-round and breed in colonies of up to several thousand pairs. They typically nest on small estuarine or offshore islands, where they are free from disturbance and predation by terrestrial mammals, including humans.

Pairs build nests on the ground or in trees, depending on the substrate available; incubate eggs under their foot webs; and feed small young predigested fish that they regurgitate onto the nest floor. By 3-4 weeks of age, the young are large enough to swallow whole fish, which they obtain by thrusting their bills into their parents' throats, forcing them to disgorge. The young are able to fly and begin to fend for themselves by 11-12 weeks of age, but do not reach sexual maturity until 3-5 years of age. This is a long-lived species: The oldest individual on record died at 43 years of age.”

Juvenile Brown Pelican Road Salt Pond IBA

Brown Pelicans are equally at home plunge diving on the ocean and floating on Anguilla’s salt ponds. The video below shows a few Pelicans and Brown Boobies feeding on Sprats in Shoal Bay East.

I would be remiss if I didn’t share this famous poem about Pelicans. When you watch them dive for fish all day long, this poem makes total sense.

A Wonderful Bird Is The Pelican

By Dixon Lanier Merritt More Dixon Lanier Merritt

A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I'm damned if I see how the helican!

Dixon Lanier Merritt. "A Wonderful Bird Is The Pelican." Family Friend Poems, https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/a-wonderful-bird-is-the-pelican-by-dixon-lanier-merritt

Who doesn’t love this stunning bird?

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Citation

Shields, M. (2020).Brown Pelican(Pelecanus occidentalis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.brnpel.01