Risebrough (Report to Patuxent Wildlife Research 

 Center, 24 April 1969) counted 298 nests con- 

 taining fresh plant material on Anacapa Island, 

 but only 12 contained intact eggs. 



The Monterey Bay and Peninsula area is very 

 important for this species, as large numbers occur 

 there following dieir northward postbreeding 

 dispersal (Alan Baldridge in lit. 1968). Birds ar- 

 rive there in mid-June and remain into December, 

 with a peak of 2,243 on 23 Aug. 1968, over 

 1,000 present from August to October, and 2,300 

 counted on 15 Sep. 1968. Williams (1927) re- 

 corded the first known breeding site. He found 

 20 to 30 nests on 25 May 1927, 8 with eggs on 

 16 June 1977, and 55 with eggs on 29 May 1929 

 (WUliams 1927, 1931). In 1966, H. L. Cogswell 

 {in Alan Baldridge in litt (1968) recorded at least 

 three nests with birds at Point Lobos, which seems 

 to have been the last recorded breeding there. 



Between 1 and 8 May 1969, there were nest- 

 ing colonies in the Gulf of California at Puerto 

 Refugio, Isla Lorenzo Norte, Isla Salsipuedes and 

 Isla Poijo; numerous adults, nests, and intact eggs 

 were found at all these colonies. Eggshells appeared 

 sound, but there was evidence of abnormal repro- 

 duction including having many empty nests, col- 

 lapsed and dehydrated eggs, and many nests hav- 

 ing only 1 or 2 eggs instead of the usual 3 (Keith 

 etal. 1970). 



In 1974, about 95% of Pacific coast breeding 

 sites were visited and found to have present about 

 25,000 breeding pairs and an estimated total 

 population of about 70,000 (U.S. Fish and Wild- 

 life Service, Denver Wildlife Research Center ms. 

 1974). 



Pelican populations off the southern Cali- 

 fornia coast appear to have oscillated historically 

 in response to environmental changes, including 

 changes in abundance of principal food fishes. 

 Also the oceanic environment in diat area is a 

 constant state of flux. However, the overall trend 

 toward population decline since the mid-1950's, 

 with the normal oscillating pattern superimposed, 

 has almost certainly been due to environmental 

 pollution (Anderson and Anderson 1976). 



REPRODUCTION 



Eastern subspecies 



The breeding season depends on location. 

 Bent (1922) states that nesting begins on the 

 Florida east coast in November and December, 

 west coast in April, Louisiana coast in February, 

 and South Carolina coast in May. However, L. J. 

 Blus (personal communication) obsei^ved nesting 



in South Carolina in March and April. Anderson 

 and Hickey (1970) list breeding dates for the 

 brown pelican throughout its range. 



Williams and Joanen (1974) report that peli- 

 cans first nest successfully when 3 years old. All 

 courtship activities are confined to the nest site. 

 The male brings nesting materials to the female 

 and she builds the nest. Normal clutch size is two 

 or three eggs (Bent 1922, Schreiber 1979). Eggs 

 are snowy white with blood stains when first laid, 

 but turn dull and dirty during incubation (L. J. 

 Blus personal communication). Eggs have a granu- 

 lar surface texture and average about 73 x 46.5 

 mm (Bent 1922). Both parents share in incuba- 

 tion and chick raising duties (Schreiber 1979). 



Henny (1972) estimated that 1.2 to 1.5 fledg- 

 lings per nesting effort are necessary to maintain a 

 stable population. Schreiber and Risebrough 

 (1972) state that this species is long-lived. One 

 brown pelican banded in September 1933 was re- 

 captured in November 1964 (Kennard 1975). 



California subspecies 



Like its eastern relative, P. o. californicus is a 

 colonial nester. It first breeds at about 2 years of 

 age. The timing of nesting varies considerably 

 from year to year and between adjoining colonies 

 during the same year. Clutch size is usually 3 eggs, 

 less often 2. Incubation is by both sexes in turn, 

 and requires about 4 weeks. Young are hatched 

 over a span of days, and are fed by both parents 

 by regurgitation. Age at first flight is 9 weeks 

 (Palmer 1962). 



On 12 April 1888, most of the nests on San 

 Martin Island, Baja California, contained young 

 ranging in age from just hatched to full-fledged 

 birds capable of flying (A. W. Anthony m Bent 

 1922). Flightless young move about in flocks or 

 "pods." They are pugnacious towards intruders, 

 but vulnerable to attack by gulls (Wright 1919, 

 A. B. Howell in Bent 1922). Egg dates for Los 

 Coronados Islands are 29 March to 22 June (33 

 records) and 4 April to 6 May (17 records) (Bent 

 1922). On Anacapa Islaiid, Cahfornia, nest con- 

 tents on 16 April 1939 ranged from fresh eggs to 

 young about half grown with primaries just be- 

 ginning to show (Bond 1942). A summary of re- 

 production on the Anacapa Islands from several 

 obsei^vers shows great variation in timing, with 

 adults carrying nesting material on 17 March 

 1911, while egg laying had begun 7 March 1916 

 on East Island and egg laying completed with one 

 nest hatched on West Island; by 5 June 1910 on 

 East Island, fresh eggs to nearly full grown were 

 found; in August 1898 on West Island nearly 



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