Brown Pelican
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brown Pelican
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Pelecaniformes
Family:
Pelecanidae
Genus:
Pelecanus
Species:
P.
occidentalis
Binomial name
Pelecanus occidentalis
Linnaeus,
1766
The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus
occidentalis) is the smallest member of the seven species of the pelican
family. It is typically 106-137 cm (42"-54") in length.
It lives strictly on coasts
from Washington and Virginia to the mouth of the Amazon River. Some immature
birds may stray to inland freshwater lakes. After nesting, North American birds
move in flocks further north along the coasts, returning to warmer waters for
winter.
This bird is distinguished
from the American White Pelican by its brown body and its habit of diving for fish
from the air, as opposed to co-operative fishing from the surface. It eats
mainly herring-like fish. Groups of Brown Pelicans often travel in single file,
flying low over the water's surface.
The nest location varies
from a simple scrape on the ground on an island to a bulky stick nest in a low
tree. These birds nest in colonies, usually on islands.
Pesticides like DDT and dieldrin
threatened its future in the southeast United States and California in the
early 1970s. Pesticides also threatened the pelican population in Florida in
this period. A research group from the University of Tampa headed by Dr. Ralph
Schreiber conducted research in the Tampa Bay/St Petersburg area and found that
DDT caused the pelican eggshells to be overly-thin and incapable of supporting
the embryo to maturity. As a result of this research, DDT usage was eliminated in
Florida and the rest of the country.
The Brown Pelican is the
state bird of Louisiana.
Along with the American
White Pelican, the Brown Pelican is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
of 1918.
There are four subspecies:
- P. o. californicus (California Brown Pelican)
- P. o. carolinensis (Eastern Brown Pelican)
- P. o. occidentalis (Caribbean Brown Pelican)
- P. o. thagus (Galapagos Brown Pelican)
The Peruvian Pelican, Pelecanus
thagus, used to be considered a subspecies of the Brown Pelican (P. o.
thagus). However, due to its well-defined allopatry and because it is much
larger and heavier than its relatives, it was reclassified as a separate
species.
References
- Pelecanus occidentalis (TSN 174685). Integrated
Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on September 25, 2006.
- BirdLife International (2006). Pelecanus
occidentalis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN
2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brown_Pelican&action=history
|
Brown Pelican
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
Scientific classification |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Binomial name |
||||||||||||||
|
Pelecanus occidentalis |
The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus
occidentalis) is the smallest member of the seven species of the pelican
family. It is typically 106-137 cm (42"-54") in length.
It lives strictly on coasts
from Washington and Virginia to the mouth of the Amazon River. Some immature
birds may stray to inland freshwater lakes. After nesting, North American birds
move in flocks further north along the coasts, returning to warmer waters for
winter.
This bird is distinguished
from the American White Pelican by its brown body and its habit of diving for fish
from the air, as opposed to co-operative fishing from the surface. It eats
mainly herring-like fish. Groups of Brown Pelicans often travel in single file,
flying low over the water's surface.
The nest location varies
from a simple scrape on the ground on an island to a bulky stick nest in a low
tree. These birds nest in colonies, usually on islands.
Pesticides like DDT and dieldrin
threatened its future in the southeast United States and California in the
early 1970s. Pesticides also threatened the pelican population in Florida in
this period. A research group from the University of Tampa headed by Dr. Ralph
Schreiber conducted research in the Tampa Bay/St Petersburg area and found that
DDT caused the pelican eggshells to be overly-thin and incapable of supporting
the embryo to maturity. As a result of this research, DDT usage was eliminated in
Florida and the rest of the country.
The Brown Pelican is the
state bird of Louisiana.
Along with the American
White Pelican, the Brown Pelican is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
of 1918.
There are four subspecies:
- P. o. californicus (California Brown Pelican)
- P. o. carolinensis (Eastern Brown Pelican)
- P. o. occidentalis (Caribbean Brown Pelican)
- P. o. thagus (Galapagos Brown Pelican)
The Peruvian Pelican, Pelecanus
thagus, used to be considered a subspecies of the Brown Pelican (P. o.
thagus). However, due to its well-defined allopatry and because it is much
larger and heavier than its relatives, it was reclassified as a separate
species.
References
- Pelecanus occidentalis (TSN 174685). Integrated
Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on September 25, 2006.
- BirdLife International (2006). Pelecanus
occidentalis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN
2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.