Along the rugged coastline of Central California, the sight of brown pelicans congregating on rocky outcrops has become a spectacle of nature. These birds, resembling anxious commuters, take flight with precision to feast on a massive school of fish just off the shore. As the ocean’s surface bubbles with energy, the pelicans dive with remarkable agility, seeking out northern anchovies, Pacific sardines, and mackerel beneath the waves.

On land, brown pelicans may appear clumsy and awkward, but in the air, they transform into models of grace. Their distinctive bill pouch, capable of holding up to 3 gallons of water, is the largest of any bird species worldwide, enabling them to scoop their aquatic prey with ease.

Such a bustling scene is what scientists refer to as a “feeding frenzy,” a positive indicator for a species that has faced numerous challenges, including warming ocean temperatures, erratic breeding cycles, and harmful algae blooms in Southern California.

“While the populations are relatively stable, some events raise concern,” explains marine ornithologist Tammy Russell, a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.

Russell adds that the sight of these feasting seabirds is a “positive signal for the marine environment,” highlighting a moment of ecological balance and vitality.

On this warm, clear day, thousands of birds have populated the nearby beaches and cliffs, drawn by the abundant food. Cormorants and gulls mix with the pelicans. The incessant roar of the waves and the chorus of bird cries are all that can be heard on this jutting jawbone of coast.

The bird’s range along the Pacific coast extends from British Columbia, Canada, into Mexico. In their struggle for survival, Russell notes that the California brown pelican was once on the federal endangered species list, after a sharp population decline was attributed to the pesticide DDT, which causes eggshell thinning. The population recovered, and the bird was removed from the list in 2009, though it still faces multiple challenges.

They are large birds, with adults weighing about 8 pounds with a wingspan of nearly 7 feet. And because they are big, they need large volumes of fish each day, their favorite food.

“When they don’t get that, they can crash pretty quickly,” Russell noted.

If the water warms, fish can move into deeper, colder water, making it more difficult for the birds to feed. Last year, scores of sick and starving pelicans were found in coastal California communities, and many others died. Wildlife authorities were baffled in 2022 when large numbers of California brown pelicans were found sick and dying.

Earlier this year, a toxic algae bloom poisoned pelicans and other marine animals along the coast.

Scientists are still learning how the birds react to changes in their environment, Russell said. They are now using electronic leg bands to follow the birds in their travels.

As the big birds gradually head south to islands off the California coast or Mexico to breed, “it’s encouraging to see a group of pelicans feeding and doing well,” Russell said.