The amazing Pelican!

In the late 1900’s and the early 2000’s Pelicans were hunted extensively for their feathers that were used to trim women’s clothing, especially their hats. In 1903 in an effort to protect the birds by reducing the threat of plumage hunters to their survival, President Theodore Roosevelt, who had strong conservation ethics, designated Florida’s Pelican Island the United States first bird reservation. This was the first time the federal government had set aside land for the sake of wildlife and Pelican Island was the forerunner of what would become the United States’ national wildlife refuge system.
Gulls, especially Heermann’s Gull ( Larus heermanni), frequently steal fish from the pouches of Brown Pelicans.

Marine predators such as sharks, salmon, and dolphin, play a part in the meal plan of California Brown Pelicans. The pelicans often rely on the actions of these predators to force schools of fish to the surface where they can catch them easily.

 :o)