Louisiana State Bird

Brown Pelican

(Pelecanus occidentalis)

Adopted on July 27, 1966.

The brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, became Louisiana's official state bird on July 27, 1966. It nests from South Carolina to Brazil. Pelicans are famous for their large bill, the lower portion of which has a pouch which may be greatly extended. Unique among the world's seven species of pelicans, the Brown Pelican is found along the ocean shores and not on inland lakes. It is the only dark pelican, and also the only one that plunges from the air into the water to catch its food.

The pelican is featured on Louisiana's flag and state seal, and one of Louisiana's nicknames is "The Pelican State." This bird has been a symbol of Louisiana since the arrival of early European settlers who were impressed with the Pelican's generous and nurturing attitude toward their young.

The birds, depending almost entirely on fish for food, scoop up quantities of water into their pouches as they seize prey from salt water. As the bill is elevated the water dribbles from the mandibles, and the pouch contracts as fish are swallowed. Five pounds of fish a day is the average consumption of a one-month old pelican.

The use of pesticides caused the Brown Pelican, native to the area, to stop nesting along the Gulf coast in the 1960s. By 1966, the bird had disappeared in Louisiana. In 1968, Louisiana began importing fledglings from Florida in an attempt to repopulate the coastline and, in 1970, the Federal Government declared the Brown Pelican an endangered species. Protection of the Brown Pelican's habitat along with repopulation efforts resulted in the Federal Government's declaration, in 1995, that the bird had "recovered" in Louisiana.

Description of the Louisiana State Bird: Brown Pelican

Length: 41 inches Wingspan: 90 inches
Sexes similar
Huge, dark bird
Long bill with a pouch, dark on Atlantic/Gulf coasts; bill paler along Pacific coast, becomes yellow during breeding season
Flies with neck tucked
Plunges from great heights into water to catch fish

Adult alternate:

White foreneck and head with yellow crown
Chestnut neck and nape
Gray-brown body plumage with slightly darker flight feathers

Adult basic:

Yellowish crown
White head and neck
Gray-brown body plumage with slightly darker flight feathers

Immature:

Dark brown overall, gradually acquiring adult plumage over three years

Statute

Louisiana Statutes, Title 49, Section 49:159.

Title 49 - State administration
SECTION RS 49:159.

§159. State bird

After July 27, 1966, the official bird for the state of Louisiana shall be the Brown Pelican as it presently appears on the seal of the state of Louisiana, and its use on the seal of the state, other insignia of the state and on all official documents is hereby authorized and directed.

Acts 1958, No. 486, §1, Amended by Acts 1966, No. 457, §1.

Taxonomic Hierarchy of Brown Pelican

Kingdom	Animalia -- animals
Phylum	Chordata -- chordates
Subphylum	Vertebrata -- vertebrates
Class	Aves -- birds
Order	Ciconiiformes -- albatrosses, alcids, auks, cormorants, diurnal birds of prey, eagles, falconiforms, falcons, flamingos, grebes, gulls, hawks, herons, ibises, loons, osprey, oystercatchers, pelicans, penguins, petrels, plovers, shearwaters, shore birds, storks, totipalmate swimmers, tube-nosed swimmers
Family	Pelecanidae -- pelicans
Genus	Pelecanus Linnaeus, 1758 -- pelicans
Species	Pelecanus occidentalis Linnaeus, 1766 -- brown pelican, Pelícano pardo

Official State Birds

US map : Birds & Flowers

Bird:

a. Any of the class Aves of warm-blooded, egg-laying, feathered vertebrates with forelimbs modified to form wings.
b. Such an animal hunted as game.
c. Such an animal, especially a chicken or turkey, used as food

State Bird:

a. Bird selected (as by the legislature) as an emblem of a state of the United States.

NOTE: Many states have more than one official bird, or have designate state birds more specifically.

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