Although it is considered the smallest member of the pelican family (Terres 1980), P. occidentalis is a large marine bird often measuring over 1 m in length (Harrison 1996) with a wingspan of nearly 2.3 meters (Farrand 1983) and a total weight of about 8 pounds (3.6 kg). (Terres 1980). Males average a slightly larger body size than females (Terres 1980). Lifespan varies with environmental conditions, food availability and other factors. Some banded individuals have been documented to exceed 31 years of age (Terres 1980).
- Farrand Jr., J (Ed.). 1983. The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding Volume 1: Loons to Sandpipers. Alfred A. Knopf. New York. USA. 447 pp.
- Kale II, HW & DS Maehr. 1990. Florida's Birds. Pineapple Press. Sarasota, FL. USA. 288 pp.
- Terres, JK. 1980. The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Alfred A. Knopf. New York. USA. 1109 pp.
- FWCC. 2009. Florida's endangered species, threatened species, and species of special concern. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Online at http://myfwc.com/WILDLIFEHABITATS/imperiledSpp_index.htm (Date accessed 08/07/2010).
- Carl, RA. 1987. Age-class variation in foraging techniques by brown pelicans. The Condor 89: 525-533.
- Federal Register. 2009. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Final Rule. Department of the Interior. Fish and Wildlife Service. Federal Register Vol.17, No. 20. Online at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2009_register&docid=fr17no09-14 (Date accessed 08/07/2010).
- FNAI. 2001. Field Guide to the Rare Animals of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory. Online at http://www.fnai.org/fieldguides.cfm (Date accessed 08/07/2010).
- FWCC. 2003. Florida's Breeding Bird Atlas: A Collaborative Study of Florida's Birdlife. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Online at http://www.myfwc.com/bba/ (Date accessed 08/07/2010).
- Harrison, P. 1996. Seabirds of the World: A Photographic Guide. Princeton Univ. Press. Princeton, NJ. USA. 317 pp.
- Klein, ML, Humphrey, SR & HF Percival. 1995. Effects of ecotourism on distribution of waterbirds in a wildlife refuge. Conserv. Biol. 9: 1454-1465.
- Grimes, J, Suto, B, Greve. JH & HF Albers. 1989. Effect of selected anthelmintics on three common helminthes in the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). J. Wildlife Diseases 25: 139-142.
- Kushlan, JA & PC Frohring. 1985. Decreases in the brown pelican population in southern Florida. Colonial Waterbirds 8: 83-95.
- Mattiucci, S, Paoletti, M, Olivero-Verbel, J, Baldiris, R, Arroyo-Salgado, B, Garbin, L, Navone, G & G Nascetti. 2008. Contracaecum bioccai n. sp. from the brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis (L.) in Columbia (Nematoda: Anisakidae): morphology, molecular evidence and its genetic relationship with congeners from fish-eating birds. Syst. Parasitol. 69: 101-121.
- Peterson, RT. 1980. A Field Guide to the Birds: A Completely New Guide to All the Birds of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin. Boston, MA. USA. 384 pp.S
- chreiber, RW. 1980. Nesting chronology of the eastern brown pelican. The Auk 97: 491-508.
- Schreiber, RW & PJ Mock. 1988. Eastern brown pelicans: What does 60 years of banding tell us? J. Field Ornithol. 59: 171-182.
- Schreiber, RW & EA Schreiber. 1983. Use of age-classes in monitoring population stability of brown pelicans. J. Wildl. Manage. 47: 105-111.
- USFWS. Brown Pelican: Endangered Species Success Story. Biologue Series. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Zamparo, D, Overstreet, RM & DR Brooks. 2005. A new species of Petasiger (Digenea: Echonostomiformes: Echinostomatidae) in the brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, (Aves: Pelecaniformes: Pelecanidae), from the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. J. Parasitol. 91: 1465-1467.
