Brown Pelican
Brown Pelican has surged: up 253% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Brown Pelican
The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a North American member of the Pelicans (Pelecanidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 41.5–71 in long (105–180 cm) — a very large waterbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 84 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 11 states, most concentrated in the Peninsular Florida.
- Family
- Pelecanidae · Wetland birds
Notable Brown Pelican Trends
No notable trend signals for Brown Pelican. See the full index history below.
Brown Pelican Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Brown Pelican is projected to rise about 51% by 2029 — from 0.15 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.23 (95% range 0.04–0.41). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±141.7%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.22 | 0.03 | 0.40 |
| 2026 | 0.22 | 0.04 | 0.40 |
| 2027 | 0.22 | 0.04 | 0.41 |
| 2028 | 0.23 | 0.04 | 0.41 |
| 2029 | 0.23 | 0.04 | 0.41 |
Where the Brown Pelican Is Detected
BBS routes recording Brown Pelican, sized by most recent count.
Brown Pelican Population Trend by State
| Alabama | 13× | 1968 | 6 |
| California | +525% | 1974 | 14 |
| Florida | -27% | 1968 | 34 |
| Georgia | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Louisiana | -5% | 2010 | 4 |
| North Carolina | -56% | 1975 | 6 |
| Oregon | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| South Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Texas | 24× | 1999 | 10 |
| Virginia | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Washington | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Brown Pelican Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -41% | 1974 | 9 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +133% | 1968 | 24 |
| Peninsular Florida | -63% | 1968 | 25 |
| Coastal California | 24× | 1977 | 6 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | 26× | 1999 | 11 |
Brown Pelican Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 253% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.