Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican

Dan Roby, Don Lyons

Latin Name: Pelecanus occidentalis

Brown Pelicans were decimated by the insecticide DDT, and were listed as endangered under the ESA in 1973. Following the ban of DDT in 1972, pelican numbers in California began to recover, and by the late 1990s a significant proportion of the west coast population was moving to the Columbia River estuary to forage after the breeding season. Dr. Roby and graduate student Sadie Wright confirmed that East Sand Island was the largest post-breeding roost site in the West, and worthy of protection.

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