Brown Pelican

Scientific name: pelecanus occidentalis

Domain: eukaryote

Kingdom: animal

Phylum: chordate

Class: aves

Order: saurischia

Family: pelecanidae

Genus: pelecanus

Species: occidentalis

The brown pelican lives along beaches and shorelines near shallow waters. It has bilateral symmetry. The brown pelican has a dark body, a grayish bill, and grayish-black legs and feet. A structural adaptation of the brown pelican is that they have a throat pouch under their bill. Their throat pouch is elastic, so it can swallow large prey. A behavioral adaptation of the brown pelican is that when it dives, the brown pelican can push its legs and wings back. This gives them more force. A functional adaptation of the brown pelican is that they are able to eat their prey with their large mouth. An interesting fact about the brown pelican is that they are the smallest pelican species in the whole world. Brown pelicans are heterotrophic and ectothermic.