Whether perched on a fishing pier or gliding above the sea, the conspicuous and popular Brown Pelican, with its large body, long bill, and enormous throat pouch, is unmistakable. Long wings gracefully carry foraging birds just above the water's surface; flocks often fly in synchronized single-file lines, slowly rising and falling in waves. Brown Pelicans are the only truly marine, dark-plumaged pelican species. The oldest known Brown Pelican lived 43 years.