BROWN PELICAN 
126. Pelecanus occidentalis. 4.5 feet. 
Pouch greenish; eye white; back of neck in breeding 
season, rich velvety brown; at other seasons the whole 
head is white. These pelicans nest abundantly on some 
of the islands on the Gulf coast of the U. S., on Pelican 
Island on the east coast of Florida, and sometimes on 
the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. Like the 
White Pelican, this species lives chiefly upon small fish, 
but they procure them in a different manner. They are 
continually circling about at a low elevation above the 
water and, upon sighting a school of fish, will plunge 
headfirst into it, securing as many as possible. 
Nest.—Either on the ground or in low trees, in the 
latter case being more bulky than in the former; com- 
posed of sticks and weeds. The three to five eggs that 
they lay are pure white with the chalky covering com- 
mon to eggs of birds belonging to this order. 
Range.—Breeds on the Gulf coast, and on the South 
Atlantic, north to South Carolina; later may casually 
stray t. New England; winters on the South Atlantic 
and Gulf coasts. 
