Birds · La Saladita, Guerrero

Brown Pelican

Pelecanus occidentalis

Spanish: Pelícano pardo

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
Photographed by scott4peas on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a North American bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae. It is one of three pelican species found in the Americas and one of only two that feeds by diving in water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile, including the Galapagos Islands. The nominate subspecies in its breeding plumage...

TaxonomyAves › Pelecaniformes › Pelecanidae
Local records314 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records148,033 on iNaturalist
Most recent records2026 – 2026
Months of the 8 most recent records
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Birds guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/pelecanus-occidentalis/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.