American White & Brown Pelicans

One of the largest North American birds, the American White Pelican is majestic in the air. The birds soar with incredible steadiness on broad, white-and-black wings. Their large heads and huge, heavy bills give them a prehistoric look. Unlike the Brown Pelican when feeding in offshore waters, they do not dive for food. Instead, they catch its prey while swimming. They dip their pouched bills to scoop up fish. Sometimes, groups of pelicans work together to herd fish into the shallows for easy feeding. These birds also eat crayfish and amphibians, and sometimes larval salamanders. In the summer, White Pelican adults breed in colonies on lakes in the interior of western Canada and the northwestern United States. They winter in Everglades National Park. The Brown Pelican is a comically elegant bird with an oversized bill, sinuous neck, and big, dark body. They fly to and from their fishing grounds in V-formations or lines just above the water’s surface. Brown Pelicans mostly eat small fish that form schools near the surface of the water—including menhaden, mullet, anchovies, herring, and sailfin mollies. A foraging pelican spots a fish from the air and dives head-first from as high as 65 feet over the ocean. As it plunges into the water, its throat pouch expands to trap the fish, filling with up to 2.6 gallons of water. While the Brown Pelican is draining the water from its bill after a dive, gulls often try to steal the fish right out of its pouch—sometimes while perching on the pelican's head. Brown Pelicans usually feed above estuaries and shallow ocean waters within 12 miles off shore. They can also be seen in marches within the interior of the Everglades where they adapt their feeding habits to the shallow pools similar to White Pelican. However, they do not forage in groups. (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology & Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission)