High-diving Brown Pelicans are known for their ability to survive steep drops before plunging into the water to catch their fishy dinners. Boasting a 6- to 8-foot wingspan, the powerful fliers are regularly seen with their neck folded back, resting their head on their back while soaring along the Gulf, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts. I recently had the privilege to visit a pelican rookery on Queen Bess Island in Louisiana, where these big-mouthed, social birds make their presence known, shouting out calls reminiscent of dinosaur – or what I’d imagine a dinosaur to sound like, at least. Queen Bess Island is home to one of the newest projects to restore bird nesting habitat on the Gulf Coast following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. It’s a historic island that has witnessed both the dramatic setbacks Brown Pelicans have faced, as well as their inspiring recovery. The Brown Pelican’s decline likely started before the 1900s. Plume hunters slaughtered them for their...