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Brown pelicans have excellent eyesight. They circle over the water looking for fish close to the surface. Then they go for it, diving headfirst — often from 50 to 60 feet in the air.
This iconic feat appears to have inspired pelican myths at some point along the way. Cami Duquet, outreach coordinator for the S.C.
Department of Natural Resources' coastal bird program, has heard the rumor countless times that brown pelicans eventually go blind from all this diving and starve. But this couldn’t be further from the truth, she said. Donate to our Investigative Fund to support journalism like this Our public service and investigative reporting is among the most important work we do.
It's also the most expensive reporting we do. We can't do it without your support. Pelicans have a third eyelid they close before diving that helps protect their vision while still allowing them to see underwater.
Their bills are well-adapted for scooping up fish, and their feathers are water repellent. They also have reinforced skulls and necks to help them absorb the impact of the dive, Duquet said. “They're very adapted for diving at this kind of height and being able to successfully feed themselves with fish without hurting themselves,” she said.
Brown pelicans face myriad threats, but their own diving practices is not one of them. Neglected and underfunded, imperiled SC species barely 'limping along' under status quo In the 1970s, brown pelicans were on the brink of extinction. The use of pesticide DDT made their eggs weak and vulnerable, causing their numbers to dwindle.
The chemical was banned in 1972, and the bird has made a comeback — making South Carolina home to the largest brown pelican colony on the East Coast in the process. Every year, more than 10,000 brown pelican pairs choose to build nests on the state’s offshore islands during nesting season, which runs March to October. These islands include Deveaux Bank, Bird Key Stono and Castle Pinckney on Shutes Folly in Charleston Harbor.
Pelicans and other shorebirds nest on and around the ruins of Castle Pinckney on Shutes Folly in Charleston Harbor. During this time period, pelicans court, mate and build a nest by weaving together sticks and vegetation. Each pair lay three eggs and incubate them for 30 days — with their feet, rather than their whole bodies.
“Since we get so hot here in South Carolina, when shorebirds and seabirds are incubating, we're mostly talking about shading the eggs from overheating,” Duquet said. A number of things can happen during the incubation period that could prevent the eggs from hatching. These include overheating from sun exposure and flooding that washes the eggs out the nest.
Eggs can break, become a meal for crows or laughing gulls or roll away. "If an egg rolls off the nest, the parents do not tend to it," Duquet said. If two of the three eggs hatch, it’s considered a good outcome, she said.
Brown pelicans lay three eggs per nest. If two of the three survive, that's considered a good outcome. Usually, only one survives.
Once they hatch, pelican chicks still face threats — including predators, sun exposure, parasites and diseases — that could prevent them from reaching fledgling age. It takes them about three months to grow feathers and learn to fly. Usually, only one chick from each clutch makes it to this stage, Duquet said.
It takes three years for pelicans to reach reproductive maturity. "Basically there’s already a wide array of 'natural' challenges that these birds face for survival, even before you put humans in the picture," Duquet said. "So we want to manage their nesting sites, like the seabird sanctuaries, to give them every chance possible to breed successfully.
" Closing South Carolina’s seabird sanctuaries, including Deveaux Bank and Bird Key Stono, to all landings takes away the added pressure of human disturbance; the pelicans need the entire island during nesting season, Duquet said. “They’ll be nesting on high ground, but then once they start to wobble around, maybe around two months, they’ll actually make their way down toward the water to cool off and practice flapping their wings,” she said. During nesting season, brown pelicans are especially susceptible to disturbances.
If pelicans detect a threat, such as a person or a dog, they will flee, leaving their nests behind, Duquet said. Without protection from predators and the sun, these eggs likely won’t hatch. Aerial surveys helps biologists count the number of brown pelican nests on South Carolina's offshore islands, like Deveaux Bank (pictured).
Sea-level rise and storms also pose a risk to brown pelican nests. The state’s offshore islands are at an extremely low elevation, Duquet said. High tides or storm surge can flood nests and wash away eggs.
Marine litter such as fishing gear and trash also poses risks to pelicans. If a pelican eats a fish with a hook still embedded in it, it may cause injury, Duquet said. South Carolina’s booming brown pelican population is possible only because the state has protected offshore bird sanctuaries , Duquet said.
Brown pelicans can be found along the state’s coast year-round, and were named the state’s official seabird in May 2024. DNR's coastal bird biologists are still counting brown pelican nests from this year's nesting season and should have a final count by the end of the year. After outcry, South Carolina plans to close an important, fragile shorebird sanctuary.
