Juvenile Brown Pelican in flight

Juvenile Brown Pelican in flight – Nikon D200, handheld, f6.3, 1/1600, ISO 320, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 280mm, natural light

After posting an image of a American White Pelican lifting off two days ago I thought I should post an photo of a Brown Pelican today for comparison. This is a juvenile Brown Pelican in flight that I photographed in Florida as it flew over the Gulf of Mexico hunting. The sun was a bit higher than I like it to be for my photographs when I created this mage but I did like the way the shadow of the pelican’s bill and head shows on the pelican’s right wing.

Brown Pelicans are smaller than their cousins the American White Pelican and they dive from the sky to capture prey whereas American White Pelicans do not.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Brown Pelican photos plus facts and information about this species.