Pelicans: Gone Fishing
by Lynn Morgenstern
Pelicans, so often caricatured due to their
comical appearance, actually illustrate a remarkable
integration of design and behavior that has enabled them to
survive for approximately forty million years. Today, there
are seven species of pelicans worldwide with two species
native to North America.
Brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) frequent
Kiawah’s beaches, estuaries and offshore waters and,
while some may migrate farther south in the winter, many
remain in the area year round. According to Jim Jordan,
Town of Kiawah Island Wildlife Biologist \