For a few weeks we’ve seen small groups of American White Pelicans Pelecanus erythrorhynchos thermaling over Baylands, flying from the north and slowly drifting south.

These are very large white birds with black wing tips and big orange bills. With wingspans up to 9 feet, adults weigh about 15 lbs.

Floating on the water, white pelicans fish in groups. They use their feet and wings to herd fish. Instead of diving they simply dip their heads below the surface to catch their meal, scooping the fish up in their elastic pouches. Most feeding takes place during the early morning and early evening hours.

An average pelican will consume three pounds of fish per day.

In spring, huge flocks of pelicans migrate north to breeding areas, the largest of which occur in the Canadian prairie provinces south to Montana and South Dakota. In fall, many migrate south to California and the Gulf Mexico.

Tags: Birds, Flying, Gallery.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 12th, 2008 at 5:00 pm and is filed under Baylands. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.