The Eastern Brown Pelican is common along the South Carolina coastline, and it's the only pelican in the world that isn't white. The beautiful bird in the picture below was hanging out on a pier in Myrtle Beach.


Brown Pelicans nest in coastal areas from Mexico to North Carolina. Because of the effects of the pesticide DDT, they were added to the federal endangered species list in 1970. Happily, the past four decades have seen a substantial recovery in their numbers. Here in South Carolina, the Deveaux Bank Heritage Preserve within the ACE Basin is a very popular nesting spot for the birds.

SCIWAY thanks Joanna Thurman of Conway who captured this great shot. Joanna says that she "much prefers winter at Myrtle Beach to summer, as one is more likely to have close encounters with visitors of another type, such as this Brown Pelican. I always carry a little camera in my pocket, and this day it paid off by providing me with a very fond memory. I chuckle every time I look at it because the bird was such a character."

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