The Brown Pelican and the Peruvian Pelican are closely related and once were considered the same species. They are indeed very similar in all plumage stages, but the Peruvian Pelican is nearly twice as big as its northern counterpart. Both pelicans are still common, but their population have been negatively affected by strong El Niño fluctuations and by exercise use of pesticides. Brown Pelicans in non-breeding plumage. Photo: Lance and Erin (Creative Commons – Flickr) The Brown Pelican…
