Brown pelican

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a species of pelican found in the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon River and the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile. It is one of the three pelican species found in the Americas, and one of the two pelican species that feed by diving underwater. The breeding plumage has a white head with a yellowish wash on the crown. The nonbreeding adult has a white head. The neck and nape appears as dark-maroon brown. The neck on the upper-side have white lines along the gular pouch, and a lower fore neck has a pale yellowish patch. The pink skin around the eyes becomes gray and dull in the nonbreeding season. It lacks any red hue, and the pouch is olive green and the legs are olivaceous gray to dark gray. Males and females are similar, but females are slightly smaller than males. It mainly feeds on fish, but will often also eat crustaceans, amphibians, and the eggs and nestlings of other birds. It nests in colonies usually on islands, vegetated land, mangroves, and thickets of shrubs and trees. It is the national bird of Saint Martin, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and is the official state bird of Louisiana.