American White Pelican

by Kathy White

Title

American White Pelican

Artist

Kathy White

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The American White Pelican are characterized by a long beak and large throat pouch used in catching prey and draining water from the scooped up contents before swallowing. Their plumage is almost entirely white, except for black primary and secondary remiges only visible in flight.
In order not to hinder the swallowing of large fish, the tongue itself is tiny. They have a long neck and short stout legs with large, fully webbed feet. Although they are among the heaviest of flying birds, they are relatively light for their apparent bulk because of air pockets in the skeleton and beneath the skin enabling them to float high in the water. The tail is short and square. The wings are long and broad, suitably shaped for soaring and gliding flight, and have the unusually large number of 30 to 35 secondary flight feathers. They roost and loaf communally on beaches, sandbanks and in shallow water.
The diet of pelicans usually consists of fish, which can be up to 1 ft long, but amphibians, turtles, crustaceans and occasionally birds are also eaten. Aquatic prey is most commonly taken at or near the water surface. In deep water, white pelicans often fish alone. Nearer the shore, several will encircle schools of small fish or form a line to drive them into the shallows, beating their wings on the water surface and then scooping up the prey. They catch multiple small fish by expanding the throat pouch, which must be drained above the water surface before swallowing. This operation takes up to a minute, during which time other seabirds may steal the fish.

Uploaded

November 25th, 2012

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