Description:
The brown pelican is a large shore-bird that reaches a length of approximately 40 inches, with a wingspan of over 90 inches.  The bill is long, with a bare throat pouch on the underside.  Bill color is variable depending on location.  On the Atlantic coast bill color is typically dark;  on the Pacific coast, color is paler.  During the breeding season, the bill becomes bright yellow.  Body color is generally a dark silver-gray to brown, with a white neck and yellow crown.  In an  alternate coloration, the nape of the neck is a chestnut-red color, while the foreneck is white.  Flight feathers are somewhat darker than the gray of body.  Immature birds are entirely dark brown.  The brown pelican is listed as endangered throughout most of its range. However, it has been delisted due to recovery in Florida and Alabama. 

Habitat:
Brown pelicans are generally restricted to the coastal zone, only rarely found in freshwater areas.  They utilize beaches, estuaries, and marshes for feeding.  Nesting occurs in colonies in mangroves and other estuarine trees.

Range:
The range of the brown pelican extends from the Carolinas south through Florida and the Gulf Coast to Mexico, Central American, and South America as far as Brazil.  On the Pacific coast, it occurs on the coast from southern Oregon south through much of Peru.