Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicaniformes)
- FamilyPelecanidae (Pelicans)
- GenusPelecanus (Pelicans)
- SpeciesPelecanus occidentalis (Brown Pelican)
The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae, one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands. The nominate subspecies in its breeding plumage has a white head with a yellowish wash on the crown. The nape and neck are dark maroon–brown. The upper sides of the neck have white lines along the base of the gular pouch, and the lower fore neck has a pale yellowish patch. The male and female are similar, but the female is slightly smaller. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Anavilhanas National Park
Cocoi Heron
Ardea cocoi
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Green Ibis
Mesembrinibis cayennensis
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
Rufescent Tiger Heron
Tigrisoma lineatum
Agami Heron
Agamia agami
Capped Heron
Pilherodius pileatus
Boat-billed Heron
Cochlearius cochlearius
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Brown Pelican at Anavilhanas National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there