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The brown pelican differs from the larger white pelican because of it’s brown body and it can be seen diving for fish from the air. They live in warm regions of the south. The brown pelicans nearly became extinct about 40 years ago. Most of this was due to chemical spills along the coast and pesticides. The brown pelican is the state bird of Louisiana and the national bird of the Caicos Islands. Brown pelicans fly low over the water’s surface and they usually nest on an island. Just recently the brown pelican was removed fron the extinction list. In the early 1970’s the government protected the brown pelican under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Also the use of certain pesticdes were banned. This contributed to saving the beautiful state bird from extinction. The brown pelican has a long pouched beak in which it can catch and carry fish in. They are a unique species of pelican in that they dive from the air to the water to catch fish. They have short legs and webbed feet.  The brown pelican sometimes follows fishing boats in hopes of fish. Brown pelicans live for about 25-30 years. It is great to know that our state bird, the brown pelican, is alive and well and is no longer listed as an endangered species.