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Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2006 | Not Recognised |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Least Concern |
| 1994 | Least Concern |
| 1988 | Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 1,920,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 6,260,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Increasing | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 15 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: (Wetlands International 2006) | ||||
| Trend justification: The overall population trend is increasing, although some populations have unknown trends (Wetlands International 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 | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anguilla (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Antigua and Barbuda | Native | No | |||
| Aruba (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Bahamas | Native | No | |||
| Barbados | Native | No | |||
| Belize | Native | No | |||
| Bermuda (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Brazil | Native | No | |||
| Canada | Native | No | |||
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Chile | Native | No | |||
| Colombia | Native | No | |||
| Costa Rica | Native | No | |||
| Cuba | Native | No | |||
| Curaçao (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| Dominica | Native | No | |||
| Dominican Republic | Native | No | |||
| Ecuador | Native | No | |||
| El Salvador | Native | No | |||
| French Guiana | Native | No | |||
| Grenada | Native | No | |||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | Native | No | |||
| Guatemala | Native | No | |||
| Guyana | Native | No | |||
| Haiti | Native | No | |||
| Honduras | Native | No | |||
| Jamaica | Native | No | |||
| Martinique (to France) | Native | No | |||
| Mexico | Native | No | |||
| Montserrat (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Nicaragua | Native | No | |||
| Panama | Native | No | |||
| Peru | Native | No | |||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | Native | No | |||
| Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) | Native | No | |||
| St Kitts and Nevis | Native | No | |||
| St Lucia | Native | No | |||
| St Martin (to France) | Unknown | No | |||
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | Native | No | |||
| Suriname | Native | No | |||
| Trinidad and Tobago | Native | No | |||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| USA | Native | No | |||
| Venezuela | Native | No | |||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | Native | No |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Anguilla (to UK) | Prickly Pear (East and West) |  |
| 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 | Ciénaga Grande, Isla de Salamanca and Sabana Grande RAMSAR biosphere reserve | |
| 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 | |
| Ecuador | Refugio de Vida Silvestre Isla Corazón e Isla Fragata | |
| El Salvador | Jiquilisco and Jaltepeque | |
| Guyana | Shell Beach | |
| Jamaica | Black River Great Morass | |
| 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 | Soldado Rock | |
| 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 | Altamaha River Delta | |
| USA | Channel Islands (Northern) | |
| Venezuela | Humedal Chacopata | |
| Venezuela | Humedal Chacopata - Marine | |
| Venezuela | Isla La Blanquilla | |
| Venezuela | Isla La Blanquilla - Marine | |
| Venezuela | Parque Nacional Archipiélago Los Roques | |
| 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) | St John | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | suitable | non-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 | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | non-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 | breeding |
| Marine Oceanic | Epipelagic (0-200m) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food (human) | Whole | Eggs | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Pelecanus occidentalis. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Pelecanidae (Pelicans) |
| Species name author | Linnaeus, 1766 |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Increasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 1,920,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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