The Brown Pelican is a comically elegant bird with an oversized bill, sinuous neck, and big, dark
body. Squadrons glide above the surf along southern and western coasts, rising and falling in a
graceful echo of the waves. They feed by plunge-diving from high up, using the force of impact to stun
small fish before scooping them up. They are fairly common today—an excellent example of a species’
recovery from pesticide pollution that once placed them at the brink of extinction. ~ All About Birds