Brown pelican

Brown pelicans dive from the air, folding their wings and hitting the water bill first, then scoop fish into their pouches. Air sacs under the skin cushion the impact.

They fly in lines, gliding just above the waves on the updraft.

Brown pelicans nearly disappeared from the Southeast in the 1960s because DDT thinned their eggshells. With the pesticide banned, they recovered and were removed from the endangered species list in 2009 — one of the great conservation successes of the last century.

Nest — A mound of sticks or grass on the ground or in low shrubs on islands
Eggs — Usually three
Incubation — About 28 to 30 days
Chicks — Naked at hatching; fed regurgitated fish by both parents
Flight — At about ten to twelve weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over thirty years are recorded

• Pelicans at piers become tangled in fishing line and hooked by lures; cutting the line off short and leaving the hook in does more harm, so a hooked pelican needs a rehabilitator.
• Feeding pelicans fish scraps and bones can injure their pouches and teaches them to beg at piers.

• Pelicans hold fish in their pouch for later. The pouch drains water; fish are swallowed at once.
• A young pelican on a pier is fine because it is near people. Young birds that learn to beg often get hooked or tangled.

• American white pelican
• Northern gannet
• Magnificent frigatebird