Educational Copy for Social Media

The brown pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis) is one of three species of pelican found in the Americas, and the only of their kind to “crash dive.” Though this practice might look unproductive, they actually have it down to a science— by learning to dive at a steep angle, typically remaining consistent between 60 and 90 degrees, they can significantly reduce the amount of water refraction upon impact. Their bodies are built for it too, with special subcutaneous air pockets beneath their skin that are connected to their respiratory system and act as built-in shock absorbers. If you’re lucky enough to witness this behavior, you’ll notice that upon diving they tend to rotate to the left— this is to avoid damage to their sensitive trachea and esophagus, which run along the right side of their necks.

If these birds look prehistoric to you, it’s because they are! Their regal appearance has changed very little in the last 30-40 million years. (you can’t, after all, mess with perfection.) adult brown pelicans, pictured 1-3, are distinguished by their brown-gray bodies and yellow crests, whereas juveniles, pictured last, have darker heads and feathers. Just like penguins and gannets, pelicans incubate their eggs by transferring heat through their webbed feet, unlike most other birds which transfer heat through a temporarily bare abdominal ‘brood patch.’ Among their other quirks, a pelican’s pouch, called a gular pouch, can typically hold up to three gallons of water, whereas their stomach can hold only one!

Today, the brown pelican is known as the official state bird of Louisiana, but there was a time in which they nearly disappeared from the whole of north America— and their cultural significance runs deep for those of the ‘silent spring’ generation. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, pelican populations faced a steep decline due to unregulated use of DDT— however, they have made an impressive recovery in decades since and therefore serve as a beacon of hope, aided by a collaboration of human effort and nature’s fervent resilience.