The American brown pelican inhabits the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts of North & South America. They can be found on the east coast from Virginia south to Brazil, and on the west coast from California south to the Galapagos Islands. They are rarely seen either inland or far out at sea. Brown pelicans are the smallest members of the pelican family (7 different species), with a weight of 8 to 10 pounds and a wing span of 6 to 7 1/2 feet.
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Brown pelicans have a very keen eyesight. As they fly over the ocean at heights of up to 70 ft, they can spot a school of small fish. Diving steeply into the water, they may submerge completely or partly (depending on the height of the dive), and surface with a mouthful of fish. Air sacs beneath the skin cushion the impact. I snapped this photo in Key West, where the pelican allowed me to get very close to him as he posed atop a wooden piling.
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