Brown Pelicans

Featured animal:  Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

 Photo credit: Own composition

Location:  California, USA

These gently floating birds are a pair of brown pelicans spotted in the seas off the coast of California.  As the brown pelican flies at a maximum height of 18 to 21 m above the ocean, it can spot schools of fish while flying. When foraging, it dives bill-first like a kingfisher. The brown pelican mainly feeds on fish, but occasionally eats amphibians, crustaceans, and the eggs and nestlings of birds. It nests in colonies in secluded areas, often on islands. The parents regurgitate predigested food for the young to feed upon until they reach their fledging stage