Mississippi Pelican Print Series( Page 1 of 2 ) pelecanus occidentalisThe beautiful adult Brown Pelican can reach a weight of 9 pounds and achieve a wing span up to 7 feet. It is widely believed that the yellow crown appears several months before breeding season and molts after nesting begins. Under optimum conditions their life span can reach 30 years.
The populations along the Mississippi coast as well as other east and west coast areas were almost decimated in the 1960s by pesticides such as DDT. Ingestion of pesticide residues in the fish they ate affected the reproductive processes. Thin-shelled eggs that were easily crushed and other impairments of the reproductive system resulted in reducing their numbers to the point where they were placed on the endangered species list in 1972. Along the Pacific coast the species is being plagued by Avian Botulism. In 1996 it was estimated that over 11,000 died from eating the fish that carried the botulism. Human disturbances in nesting areas, commercial fishing, pesticides, and pollution are just a few of the factors that threaten the species today. Their fight to survive continues. Read more on Pelicans on page 2.
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