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.j New England; winters on the South Atlantic 

 and Gulf coasts. 



