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Brown pelican
Introduction References & Edit History
Images
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) with wings spread wide, lifting off from the surface of a lagoon at Fort De Soto Park, Florida. Deepwater Horizon oil spill: brown pelican Illustrations of eight bird heads, each showing a different bill shape adapted for feeding: a hooked bill for tearing flesh on a red-tailed hawk, a cone-shaped bill for cracking seeds on a northern cardinal, a flat bill for catching fish on a roseate spoonbill, a spear-like bill for jabbing prey on a great blue heron, a chisel-like bill for digging insects on a northern flicker, a large pouch bill for scooping fish on a brown pelican, a narrow bill with toothlike edges for catching fish on a hoo pelecaniform body plans
Quizzes
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
pigeon. pigeon and dove. member of the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae
Ultimate Bird Trivia Quiz
Lion (panthera leo)
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Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Brown pelican: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Article title updated for style. Nov 13, 2026
Deleted Web site: Cornell Lab - All About Birds - Pelecanidae. Feb 18, 2025
Add new Web site: Cornell Lab - All About Birds - Pelecanidae. Sep 01, 2014
Added new Web site: Animal Diversity Web - Pelecanus occidentalis. Mar 19, 2008
Added new Web site: Texas Parks And Wildlife - Eastern Brown Pelican. Mar 19, 2008
Added new Web site: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology - All About Birds - Eastern Phoebe. Mar 19, 2008
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - Brown Pelican. Feb 27, 2008
Article added to new online database. Jul 23, 1999
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