The Story
I photographed this Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) flying over the inlet with its wings spread wide at Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida, United States, in November 2020. It is one of three pelicans found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into the water. It lives on the Atlantic coast from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon, and on the Pacific coast from British Columbia to Peru, including the Galápagos. It is the smallest of the eight pelican species, though it is still one of the larger seabirds in its range. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/3200 sec, f/9, ISO 400, −2 EV. Sea turtles nest in the park, and in summer visitors can book a nighttime outing to watch nesting loggerheads.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) belongs to the family Pelecanidae (Pelicans) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2018), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List