The brown pelican, a species once nearly exterminated by hunting and the pesticide DDT, has recovered and is being removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species, wildlife officials said today. "At a time when so many species of wildlife are threatened, we once in a while have an opportunity to celebrate an amazing success story," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. "Today is such a day. The brown pelican is back!"

There are now more than 650,000 brown pelicans found across Florida and the Gulf and Pacific Coasts, as well as in the Caribbean and Latin America. Brown pelicans, Pelecanus occidentalis, are large, shore-dwelling birds, about four feet long, with a wingspan that can extend to over seven feet. Strong swimmers and graceful flyers though clumsy on land, pelicans are long-lived. The oldest pelican on record died at 43 years of age.

The brown pelican was first declared endangered in 1970 under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, a precursor to the current Endangered Species Act of 1973.

"After being hunted for its feathers, facing devastating effects from the pesticide DDT and suffering from widespread coastal habitat loss, the pelican has made a remarkable recovery," said Tom Strickland, assistant secretary of the interior for fish and wildlife and parks, at a news conference in New Orleans to announce the delisting.

"We once again see healthy flocks of pelicans in the air over our shores," he said. Continue reading at Environment News Service.