Summary ⁶

The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a small pelican found in the Americas. It is one of the best known and most prominent birds found in the coastal areas of the southern and western United States. It is one of only 3 pelican species found in the Western Hemisphere. The Brown Pelican is one of the only two pelican species which feeds by diving into the water.

Taxon biology ⁷

The brown pelican's image adorns postage stamps across the Americas, from Bermuda and Belize to Venezuela and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is Louisiana's state bird and the national bird for Turks and Caicos Islands.

With its dark plumage and distinct feeding methods, the brown pelican sets itself apart from seven other pelican species. Aside from being one of the smaller pelican species, the brown pelican is the only one that is known to dive and dine. Most pelican species feed by corralling fish into shallow waters through a group chase before scooping them up with their large beaks. Brown pelicans have their own distinct method: once they spot light reflecting off the scales of fish, they plunge into the water from heights of up to 70 feet where they scoop up fish, drain water through their beaks and tip their heads back to swallow (MarineBio.org: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, 2010 ). Air sacs beneath their skin protect them from injury when they hit the water (read more: General Description and Elkhorn Slough Birds: Brown Pelican.

The air sacs are also part of what helps these birds fly. Their body length measures 48 inches (1.2 m) on average, which is about the height of a nine-year old child. Yet their weight rarely exceeds 12 lbs (1.4 kg). The trick to keeping such a large bird aloft is not just a long wingspan, but a body made light through air sacs
(AvianWeb.com, 2010).

The pelican's recent history is one of struggle against destructive human activities like unregulated hunting and pollution. Over the past century, their ill fortune has wrought positive change, inspiring the creation of one of the first bird refuges in the U.S. as well as a ban against toxic pesticides. Most recently, it became the inadvertent poster animal of the disastrous impact of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. (read more: Conservation)

Statut ⁸

Status : Ve

Date d'arrivée record: 10/05/2011 (Grande-Entrée) QO 23(2):46
Date de départ record: 18/10/1994 (Rimouski) QO 6(4):23

Il est à noter que la liste des mentions ci-dessous peut inclure certaines mentions non-confirmées ou considérées comme invalides après leur publication. Cette liste est fournie à titre d'information uniquement, et elle est principalement mise à jour grâce aux mentions publiées dans la chronique saisonnière de la revue QuébecOiseaux. Certaines mentions récentes, identifiées avec la référence "web", réfèrent souvent à des mentions publiées sur la page des oiseaux rares du Québec.

Cherchez les mentions de Pélican brun sur la page des oiseaux rares du Québec.

No Localité Dates Référence

1. Dundee 11/07/1991 QO 3(3):23
2. Havre-aux-Maisons 26/07/1992 QO 4(3):27
3. lac Témiscouata fin/07-début/08/1994 QO 6(4):23
4. Rimouski à Sainte-Ignace-de-Loyola 25/08-18/10/1994 QO 6(4):23
5. Lac Beauchêne, Témiscamingue 13-18/09/2002 QO 14(4):45
6. Lac Kipawa, Témiscamingue 18-23/09/2002 QO 14(4):45

7. Saint-Irénée 21-24/06/2003 ornitho-qc
   immature;

8. Percé 25/06/2003 ornitho-qc

9. La Malbaie 20/06/2003 ornitho-qc
   immature;

10. Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue 11/10/2004 QO 16(4):44

11. Sorel 06/10/2006 web
    mention non-confirmée

12. Grande-Entrée 10-16/05/2011 QO 23(2):46
    photo publiée

13. Tadoussac 29/08/2011 web

14. Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures 5/11/2013 web
    mention non-confirmée

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Biopix, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/PhotosMedium/INN%20Pelecanus%20occidentalis%2000182.jpg
2. (c) 1999 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=543&one=T
3. (c) 2002 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=110321&one=T
4. Stolz, Gary M., no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/20876.jpg
5. (c) Nick Chill, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/26256233@N04/3275324920
6. Adapted by Roger Simard from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelecanus_occidentalis
7. Adapted by Roger Simard from a work by (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/6960102
8. (c) Roger Simard, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNaturalist.ca taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CalPhotos
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• VertNet
• Xeno-canto

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