LC
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
AOU. 1998. Check-list of North American birds. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2018 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2006 Not Recognised
2004 Least Concern
2000 Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 18,600,000 km2 medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 26,000,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown poor estimated 2006
Population trend increasing - suspected -
Generation length 15 years - - -

Population justification: Delany and Scott (2006) estimate the population to be 300,000 individuals.

Trend justification: The overall population trend is increasing, although some populations have unknown trends (Delany and Scott 2006). This species has undergone a large and statistically significant increase over the last 40 years in North America (712% increase over 40 years, equating to a 68.8% increase per decade; data from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher and Niven 2007) Note, however, that these surveys cover less than 50% of the species's range in North America.


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Anguilla (to UK) extant native yes
Antigua and Barbuda extant native yes
Aruba (to Netherlands) extant native yes
Bahamas extant native yes
Barbados extant native yes
Belize extant native yes
Bermuda (to UK) extant native yes
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) extant native yes
Brazil extant native
Canada extant native
Cayman Islands (to UK) extant native yes
Colombia extant native yes
Costa Rica extant native yes
Cuba extant native yes
Curaçao (to Netherlands) extant native yes
Dominica extant native yes
Dominican Republic extant native yes
Ecuador extant native yes
El Salvador extant native yes
French Guiana extant native yes
Grenada extant native yes
Guadeloupe (to France) extant native yes
Guatemala extant native yes
Guyana extant native yes
Haiti extant native yes
Honduras extant native yes
Jamaica extant native yes
Martinique (to France) extant native yes
Mexico extant native yes
Montserrat (to UK) extant native yes
Nicaragua extant native yes
Panama extant native yes
Peru extant native yes
Puerto Rico (to USA) extant native yes
Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) extant native yes
St Barthelemy (to France) extant native
St Kitts and Nevis extant native yes
St Lucia extant native yes
St Martin (to France) extant native yes
St Vincent and the Grenadines extant native yes
Suriname extant native yes
Trinidad and Tobago extant native yes
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) extant native yes
USA extant native yes
Venezuela extant native yes
Virgin Islands (to UK) extant native yes
Virgin Islands (to USA) extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Anguilla (to UK) Cauls Pond
Anguilla (to UK) Prickly Pear (East and West)
Anguilla (to UK) Rendezvous Bay Pond
Antigua and Barbuda McKinnons Salt Pond
Antigua and Barbuda Offshore Islands
Antigua and Barbuda Potworks Dam
Antigua and Barbuda Valley Church Bay
Bahamas Booby Rocks and Pirates Bay
Bahamas Cay Sal
Bahamas Great Inagua
Bahamas North Atlantic Abaco Cays
Chile Monumento Natural Isla Cachagua
Colombia Delta del Río San Juan
Colombia Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona
Colombia Parque Nacional Natural Sanquianga
Cuba Cayo Sabinal, Ballenatos y Manglares de la Bahía de Nuevitas
Cuba Delta del Mayarí
Cuba Humedal Sur de Pinar del Río
Cuba Río Máximo
Dominican Republic Jaragua National Park
Ecuador Isla Santa Clara
Jamaica Black River Great Morass
Mexico Archipiélago Bahía de los Angeles
Mexico Archipiélago Salsipuedes
Mexico Área de San Quintín
Mexico Bahía Magdalena-Almejas
Mexico Bahía Santa María
Mexico Bahía Todos Santos
Mexico Chamela - Cuitzmala
Mexico Complejo Lagunar San Ignacio
Mexico Ensenada de Pabellones
Mexico Isla Alcatraz
Mexico Isla Cerralvo/Jacques Costeau
Mexico Isla San Pedro Nolasco
Mexico Isla Tiburón-Canal Infiernillo-Estero Santa Rosa
Mexico Isla Tortuga
Mexico Laguna de Tamiahua
Mexico Laguna Madre
Mexico Los Tuxtlas
Mexico Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano
Panama Chimán Islands
Panama Pearl Archipelago
Panama Taboga Group
Puerto Rico (to USA) Suroeste
Puerto Rico (to USA) Vieques
Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) Fort Amsterdam, Sint Maarten
Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) Pelikan Rock, Sint Maarten
St Kitts and Nevis Ponds of the Southeast Peninsula
St Vincent and the Grenadines Mustique Island
Trinidad and Tobago West Coast Mudflats
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) East Caicos and adjacent areas
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) Grand Turk Salinas and Shores
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) North, Middle and East Caicos Ramsar Site
Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) Salt Cay Creek and Salinas
USA Active Delta (Mississippi River Birdsfoot Delta)
USA Altamaha River Delta
USA Barataria Terrebonne
USA Bird Key Stono
USA Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
USA Center Islands
USA Chandeleur Islands (Breton National Wildlife Refuge)
USA Channel Islands - Northern
USA Deveaux Bank
USA Isles Dernieres - Timbalier Islands
USA Old House Channel - Island MN
Venezuela Humedal Chacopata
Venezuela Humedal Chacopata - Marine
Venezuela Isla La Blanquilla
Venezuela Isla La Blanquilla - Marine
Virgin Islands (to UK) Anegada: Western salt ponds and coastal areas
Virgin Islands (to USA) North-west Cays
Virgin Islands (to USA) Southgate and Green Cay
Virgin Islands (to USA) Virgin Islands National Park

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Marine Coastal/Supratidal Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands suitable non-breeding
Marine Coastal/Supratidal Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands suitable breeding
Marine Intertidal Rocky Shoreline major non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Rocky Shoreline major breeding
Marine Intertidal Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc suitable breeding
Marine Intertidal Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches suitable breeding
Marine Neritic Estuaries major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Estuaries major breeding
Marine Neritic Macroalgal/Kelp major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Macroalgal/Kelp major breeding
Marine Neritic Pelagic major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Pelagic major breeding
Marine Neritic Seagrass (Submerged) major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Seagrass (Submerged) major breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel major breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs major breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy major breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy-Mud major non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy-Mud major breeding
Marine Oceanic Epipelagic (0-200m) suitable non-breeding
Marine Oceanic Epipelagic (0-200m) suitable breeding
Marine Oceanic Mesopelagic (200-1000m) suitable non-breeding
Marine Oceanic Mesopelagic (200-1000m) suitable breeding
Altitude   Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Slow, Significant Declines Low Impact: 5
Stresses
Indirect ecosystem effects, Species mortality
Human intrusions & disturbance Recreational activities Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Species disturbance, Reduced reproductive success
Pollution Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides Timing Scope Severity Impact
Past, Unlikely to Return Minority (<50%) Rapid Declines Past Impact
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Food - human subsistence, national
Pets/display animals, horticulture international

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/brown-pelican-pelecanus-occidentalis on 15/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 15/12/2024.