Alcatraz Was Named After This Bird — And It's Back
Alcatraz literally means 'pelican' in archaic Spanish — and these magnificent birds still rule the Bay each summer. After a DDT-era near-extinction, brown pelicans made a stunning comeback. This weekend, head to Crissy Field Lagoon at dusk to watch them soar.
Alcatraz — the island's name comes from the archaic Spanish word for pelican. Long before it was a prison, it was their island. Brown pelicans still return to the Bay each summer, soaring in formation over the water in a comeback story that took decades to achieve.
After being driven to the edge of extinction by DDT in the 1970s, brown pelicans were delisted from the U.S. Endangered Species List in 2009 — one of conservation's greatest success stories. Today, a 2026 marine heat wave is stressing California's brown pelican population, causing a starvation event that wildlife rescue centers are actively responding to.
This weekend, head to Crissy Field Lagoon between 5:30–8 PM to watch them glide low over the water or plunge-dive at up to 65 mph.
Sources:
- Golden Gate Bird Alliance — Brown Pelican in the Bay Area
- Point Blue Conservation Science — Bay Area Seabird Monitoring
- Bay Nature Magazine — Brown Pelicans Return to SF Bay
- National Park Service — Golden Gate National Recreation Area Wildlife
- International Bird Rescue — 2026 Brown Pelican Starvation Response
Wild Things Nearby (SF)
A biweekly urban-naturalist field guide locked to San Francisco. Every two weeks, it profiles one wild creature that actually lives within 5 miles of the viewer — Pier 39 sea otters, Glen Canyon coyotes, Salesforce Tower red-tailed hawks.
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