Birds
Brown pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis urinatorConservation statusLeast Concern
DietSardines and anchovies
Lifespan15-25 years
Size and weightWingspan about 2 m
A large gray-brown pelican. You see it in almost every bay and on every pier.
Bill pouch
What makes it specialThe only pelican in the world that dives to hunt. It dives from up to about 20 meters high.
Surprising factAir pockets under the skin of its chest soften the hit on the water.
PopulationA subspecies, a local type that lives only in the Galápagos. A few thousand birds.
In almost every bay and at every pier