Brown Pelican - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

There are five subspecies:

• P. o. californicus (California Brown Pelican)
• P. o. carolinensis (Eastern Brown Pelican)
• P. o. occidentalis (Caribbean Brown Pelican)
• P. o. murphy (Pacific Brown Pelican)
• P. o. urinator (Galapagos Brown Pelican)

The Peruvian Pelican, Pelecanus thagus, used to be considered a subspecies of the Brown Pelican (P. o. thagus). Due to its well-defined allopatric speciation and because it is much larger and heavier than its relatives, it has been reclassified as a separate species.