"Images of oil-caked brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) have hit the front pages of countless U.S. newspapers and other media in the past week, driving home the still-growing impact of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. So far, dozens of pelicans have been transported to rescue centers for treatment. The number is only expected to rise as the oil spill spreads and covers Louisiana's Queen Bess Island Pelican Rookery and other important breeding sites. It is quite a blow for a species that was on the endangered species list until just six months ago. It had taken brown pelicans nearly 50 years to recover from the devastating effects of DDT and other pesticides that nearly wiped them out." - Shannon Jiménez