Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
breeding Brown Pelican, Cayo Coco, Cuba, February 2005 - click on image for a larger view Cuba
February 2005

The Brown Pelican is distributed on the Pacific coast of the Americas from British Colombia to southern Chile and on the Atlantic coast from South Carolina to the mouth of the Amazon. It is strictly marine but avoids the open sea.

breeding Brown Pelican, Cayo Coco, Cuba, February 2005 - click on image for a larger view In adults the head and part of the neck is white. The first 3 photos show breeding plumage where the back of the neck is dark chestnut-brown in colour. In non-breeding plumage, the entire neck is white.

The 4th photo shows a juvenile bird with a brown head and neck. (This bird has been ringed).

breeding Brown Pelican, Cayo Coco, Cuba, February 2005 - click on image for a larger view They feed on large fish by diving into the water (photos 2 and 3), a fishing technique never used by the American White Pelican P. erythrorhynchus.
juvenile Brown Pelican, Playa Larga, Cuba, February 2005 - click on image for a larger view
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