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Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Order
PELECANIFORMES
– Family
PELECANIDAE
Authors: Shields, Mark

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Measurements

Linear

Appendix 1 . Males larger than females: culmen 9–12% longer, tarsus 6–9% longer, wing 3–6% longer; little difference in tail lengths. Measurements vary greatly among subspecies: P. o. occidentalis is smallest in all 4 measures; P. o. urinator is largest, except for tail length, which is longest in P. o. californicus; P. o. carolinensis and P. o. murphyi are intermediate in size. Mean wing, culmen, and tarsus lengths of male Peruvian Pelican exceed those of male P. o. urinator by 8%, 10%, and 25%, respectively; tail length similar to that of P. o. californicus .

Mass

Males 15–20% heavier than females. Mean mass of adult P. o. carolinensis from Florida: male: 3,290 g ± 509 SD (range 2,380–4,040, n = 13); female: 2,824 g ± 677 SD (range 1,830–3,990, n = 13; Schreiber et al. 1989). Mass differences among subspecies probably parallel those of linear measurements, but few data. Individual male and female Peruvian Pelicans weighed 7,030 g and 5,055 g, respectively (Murphy 1936). Mass of internal organs provided in Crile and Quiring 1940 .