“Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week.
But I’m darned if I know how the helican.”

Dixon Lanier Merritt
(1879-1972)

There are eight species of pelicans in the world, all of which are similar in shape and are primarily white in colour (with the exception of the Brown Pelican). The pelicans featured in this post are the only white pelicans in North America and are called the American White Pelicans.

Pelicans are among the larger and heavier birds in the world, so they are very impressive in flight. Their bodies are mostly white, with black primaries and outer secondaries, which are hidden until the bird outstretches it’s enormous wings.

Their feet are short and orange, and are webbed not only between the four front toes but also between the second toe and the inwardly directed back toe. Adult pelicans have a bright yellow ring around each eye and juvenile pelicans appear washed out with brown colored streaks in their feathers.

The main characteristic feature of the pelican is the elongated bill with its massive yellowish saggy throat pouch connected to the lower mandible of the beak that stretches up to six inches. When it’s very hot pelicans flutter and jiggle their throat pouches to keep cool. The bill is 1-1.5 feet long and is larger in males than females. They weigh 8-15 pounds, are 5-6 feet long and have large wings with a wingspan of 6-9 feet. Males are larger than females.

These pelicans are very social and gregarious, and they usually stay together in large colonies to raise their young ones. Most of the time they can be seen swimming together in groups on feeding trips. These pelicans are found near lakes, salt bays, marshes, estuaries and beaches. They are commonly found in northern California, western Nevada, Utah, Colorado, northeastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and occasionally on the central coast of Texas.

Pelicans are naturally very large in size, but in spite of this they can sit high on the water because they have an extremely light skeleton, weighing less than 10% of their total body weight; their bones are full of air and the air sacs in their body are large. During mating season the male develops a fibrous plate on the upper part of the beak, this is a unique characteristic of the white pelican. Also the bill is bright orange during the mating season.

Fossils of pelicans go back 40 million years, so their feeding strategies have obviously been successful. Two basic types of feeding strategies are used by the pelicans:

Plunge Diving
The pelicans fly high in groups and drop from great heights into the water to catch its prey. They take a dip in the water, catch whatever they can in their bills and fly out of the water. As they fly out, they drain the water from their bills and retain the prey and gulp them down. This technique is commonly adopted by the Brown Pelican of North America and its close South American relative, the Peruvian Pelican. Unfortunately, i dont have any pictures of brown pelicans as they are a little hard to find here. I am still on their lookout and hopefully will find them at Point Reyes, the biggest birding site of North America.

ewww… they need to be potty trained.

Group Fishing
A flock of pelicans work together swimming in a line, driving fish into a concentrated mass using their bills and sometimes by beating their wings. The fish are herded into shallow waters or surrounded in ever decreasing circles and they are stuck with nowhere to go. This technique is commonly used by the various white pelicans of the world. This feeding technique is also used by the dolphins.

The pelicans will then stick their heads into the water and scoop up the fish with their enormous bills. The bill can hold 3 gallons of water, and after the fish have been caught the bill is pointed downward allowing the water to drain, and then the bill is raised and the meal is swallowed.

Pelicans mainly eat fish, but they are opportunistic feeders and eat a variety of aquatic animals including crustaceans, tadpoles and turtles. They readily accept ‘handouts’ from humans, and a number of unusual items have been recorded in their diet. During periods of starvation, pelicans have been reported capturing and eating seagulls and ducklings. The gulls are held under water and drowned before being eaten headfirst. Pelicans will also rob other birds of their prey. Have you ever seen a pelican eat a pigeon? Dont believe me? Click these links and see for yourself.
Pelican Eats Pigeon Video 1
Pelican Eats Pigeon Video 2

The most significant effect on white pelican populations is disturbance of their breeding sites, by humans or industrial activity. The birds may abandon an entire nesting colony, leaving eggs and young chicks to be trampled or exposed to harsh weather and predators. Oil or chemical spills, erosion, plant succession, hurricanes, storms, heavy tick infestations, and unpredictable food availability are other threats. Changing water levels due to drought, irrigation and recreational use may also cause the birds to abandon a colony, at least temporarily. The Brown Pelican is classified as an endangered species in many states of North America due to its receeding population.

Juvenile White American Pelican

U.S Fisheries and Wildlife Services has declared many marsh lands and water bodies all over the U.S as wildlife refuges dedicated to preserving and enhancing wildlife habitat, protecting migratory birds, protecting threatened and endangered species. A lot of these refuges are closed to the public to make sure some endangered species are left undisturbed. One such refuge closed to the public is the Farallon National Wildlife refuge located in the isolated Farallon islands which are 30 miles west of San Francisco.

These pelican pictures were taken at the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. These birds are 100% wild and have no interaction with humans whatsoever. Taking these pictures was quite a challenge for me as these wild birds are not used to the presence of humans and fly away at the slightest movement and noise. After a lot of planning, patience, multiple visits and researching the pelicans, i was able to get them in their natural environment. Wildlife photography is fun and i will be posting more pictures of wildlife soon. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as i enjoyed shooting the pelicans.