Nosy Parker

Bird of the Day Series, Social Media Content

Photo: Kenton Gomez

This is the American White Pelican, the second-largest bird in North America (after the California Condor). Including its 15” beak, it’s about 70” long, with a 10’ wingspan.

In winter, you’ll find these birds, mostly, in northern Canada, where they nest in colonies of several hundred pairs on remote brackish and freshwater lakes, and along fast-flowing rivers. The full range of this bird is huge—they migrate between Wyoming and the Northwest Territories, and as far east as Ontario. In winter, they live on the Pacific and Gulf coasts, from California and Florida, along the Mississippi River and as far south as Panama. When migrating, they avoid open ocean because, despite a weight of 20 lbs, they often get blown off course and end up in places like Venezuela.

Unlike other pelicans, who dive for food, American White Pelicans swim for it, eating 4 lbs of fish a day.  Sometimes, these pelicans gather to corral food; often, they steal food from other birds—in flight.

This photo was taken during breeding season. The vivid oranges and yellows fade after the bird has mated, which is also when that bill horn falls off. They co-parent, and females lay up to six eggs each year, but usually only one chick survives. Other birds take the eggs; eagles, red foxes and coyotes kill the chicks; coyotes can also kill adults.

This bird has been protected in the US since 1918, but they still face poaching, habitat loss, and entanglement in fishing gear. Up to the 1960s, they were seriously endangered by the use of DDT, destruction of wetlands and other agricultural practices, but environmental protection laws have allowed them to recover.

If you come across a colony of nesting pelicans, stay away. When humans come near, they temporarily abandon their nests, leaving the eggs vulnerable. There’s also that bill to think about; if you get too close, you’ll feel it.