Pelicans

American White Pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Family Pelecanidae (Pelicans)

Size: 62"

Season: Spring and fall transient

Habitat: Open freshwater, coastal areas

One of North America’s largest birds, the American white pelican has a wingspan of over 9 feet. It is white overall with black flight feathers. The massive bill is orange and has a membranous, expandable throat pouch. In posture, it holds its neck in a characteristic strong kink and its folded wings in a peak along its back. American white pelicans often feed in cooperative groups, herding fish as they swim and scooping them up by dipping their bills in the water. They never plunge-dive like the brown pelican. When breeding, a strange horny growth appears on the upper mandible in both sexes. The nonbreeding adult is illustrated.