By Katelyn Ladd

THERE ARE FIVE DIFFERENT GROUPS OF ANIMALS WITH VERTEBRATES Mammals Fish Reptiles Birds Amphibians

M OST BIRDS HAVE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAKE THEM A BIRD. H ERE ARE SOME OF THE ATTRIBUTES Birds are warm blooded. They have two wings, two legs, and a beak. Birds give birth to babies hatched from eggs. They breathe through lungs. Pelicans are covered with feathers.

A P ELICAN ’ S A PPEARANCE The pelican has a reddish brown color on the back of the long neck. The pouch is full of blood vessels. The brown pelican has brown feathers. They have a enormous bill that catch fish. The pelicans head is yellow. The brown pelican has dark brown webbed feet. The pelican has white feathers on the front of its neck.

My animal has adapted to his environment. The brown pelican uses the pouch to catch fish, feed its young, and cools itself. The pouch is full of blood vessels to keep it cool. The brown pelican is about four feet long. The brown pelican weighs roughly nine pounds. The brown pelican is one of the largest birds. Pelicans are also awesome swimmers.

A P ELICAN ’ S H ABITAT Pelicans live around water. This large bird lives along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico in North and South America. Pelicans that nest in northern areas where winters are cold often have two homes. Brown Pelicans can be found in coastal areas like sandy beaches and lagoons.

T HE P ELICAN ’ S D IET Brown pelicans hunt during the day. Brown pelicans are carnivores or meat eaters. They are diurnal which means they are awake during the day. Brown pelicans eat mostly fish and are carnivores. Brown pelicans build their nets from grass and sticks. Females lay 2-3 chalky- white eggs. The brown pelican is a plunger. The pelican drops from the air with its wings.

F ISHING T ECHNIQUES OF THE B ROWN P ELICAN The Brown Pelican of North America usually plunges or dives for its prey. The Brown Pelican has a long, straight bill with an enormous pouch attached to it. This pouch holds three times as much as its stomach can. The pelican uses the pouch to catch fish, feed its young, and cool itself. The Brown Pelican is about 4 feet long and weighs about 9 pounds. When it spreads out its wings it is about 7 feet from wing tip to wing tip.

I NTERESTING F ACTS Pelican parents will only feed their own young. The pelicans pouch holds three times as much as its stomach can. The mother pelican can carry food back to its young. The brown pelican can eat fish from the sky. The white pelican is almost pure white, except for dark wingtips. Pelicans NEVER nest alone. Brown pelicans put a bit more work into building their nests. The young know who is their mom and dad.

T HE L IFE C YCLE OF T HE B ROWN P ELICAN The male and female make a nest out of sticks, reeds, and grass. The female lays two to three eggs a few days after the nest is completed. Both parents sit on the eggs and care for the young. The eggs are taken care of in an unusual way. The pelican will put its webbed feet over the eggs to keep them warm. The chicks hatch after about a month.

T HE B ROWN P ELICAN IS N O LONGER ON THE E NDANGERED L IST. The brown pelican used to be an endangered bird. It was once hunted for its feathers. They used to use DDT pesticide and it caused the eggs shells to be soft and not develop. They were also losing their habitat because human beings were taking away the places where they lived. Now they are doing okay. There are now 650,000 brown pelicans across Florida.

The best part of researching the Brown Pelican is it is Plumb Elementary School’s mascot! I hope you enjoyed my power point about the Brown pelican. Thanks again. Have a fantastic day!

By Katelyn Ladd