Why Is This Prehistoric-Looking Bird So Fascinating?
Recently, I was living on an island a short walk from a seabird rescue station and marina. The docks there are hangouts for all kinds of seabirds, including dozens of pelicans. As an avid amateur photographer, I was delighted to hang out there and "shoot" the birds. Many of the birds, like the egrets and herons, are prettier and more graceful than the pelicans. But, whether they are diving for fish, soaring over the bay, or waddling across the dock, the pelicans never fail to intrigue and amaze me. And, they make me laugh. I have even photographed a couple of pelicans doing something that looks an awful lot like dancing. They actually seem to be smiling.

This lens is my ode to my favorite bird. I hope you enjoy it.
Contents
What Can You Learn About Pelicans Here?
- Brown Pelican Coming In For A Landing At Sebastian Inlet On Florida's East Coast. Copyright: Linda T. Kruger
- Pelican Poetry
- What Is A Pelican?
- How Brown Pelicans Feed.
- How White Pelicans Feed.
- Pelican Poll
- Birdwatching News From The New York Times
- Random Pelican Facts
- Beautiful Things for Pelican Lovers
- Pelicans and Other Waterbirds in the Blogosphere.
- A Highly Recommended Book
- My Pelican Photos
- Wikipedia On Pelicans
- Flying Pelicans
- A Bird Photographer's Blog
- Pelican Pottery and Glass
- Do You Have Any Pelican Stories?

Brown Pelican Coming In For A Landing At Sebastian Inlet On Florida's East Coast. Copyright: Linda T. Kruger
Pelican Poetry
"Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week.
But I'm darned if I know how the helican."
Dixon Lanier Merritt
(1879-1972)
What Is A Pelican?
Although there are 8 different species of pelicans, they all have the famous long beak with a pouch that is used for catching fish. The 8 species are: Brown Pelicans and American White Pelicans which are found along the seashores and lakes of North America, Australian Pelicans, Eastern White Pelicans which inhabit Eurasia, Dalmatian Pelicans found in Southern Eurasia, Spot-Billed Pelicans of southeast Asia, Peruvian Pelicans and Pink-Backed Pelicans which reside in Africa, southern Arabia and Madagascar.
Pelicans are very social birds and move in flocks. It's fun to watch them interact with each other when they are on land. When you see a flock of pelicans flying overhead, they are commonly strung out in a line. They also breed in colonies, usually on an island. The pelican's average lifespan is 10 to 25 years.
The Brown Pelicans of North America became endangered in the 1950's because of the widespread use of the pesticide, DDT, which damaged their eggs. After it was banned, the numbers increased again and have recovered in most states. The Dalmation and Spot-Billed Pelicans are endangered because of loss of habitat in their areas.
How Brown Pelicans Feed.
The Kamikaze Bird
How White Pelicans Feed.
Would You Like Some Dip With That?
Pelican Poll
This Is Where You Can Declare Your Standing On The Pelican Issue.
Errrr, what pelican issue???
Inquiring minds need to know.....
Birdwatching News From The New York Times
What's Up In The World of Birds?
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byRandom Pelican Facts
Did You Know.....?
There are eight species of pelicans.Pelicans are found on every continent except Antartica.
The brown pelican is the Louisiana State Bird.
The Australian pelican is thought to have the longest beak of any bird in the world.
White pelicans can fill their throat pouches with as much as 3 gallons of water.
Young pelicans get their food by sticking their bills into the adult's throat.
Beautiful Things for Pelican Lovers
Pelicans and Other Waterbirds in the Blogosphere.
- Kenya Bird Watching Safaris/ Tours
- You also get to encounter the great white pelican, pink backed pelican, all water birds that breed in alkaline waters, the white stork, marabou stork, it hosts over four hundred species. The tropical rain forest known as the Kakamega ...
- Tonle Sap-Cambodia's Great Lake
- This reserve is and has been called the most important breeding ground in South East Asia for large water birds. Species such as the Black-headed ibis, spot billed Pelican, Grey headed Fish Eagle, Painted Stock and Millet Stork nest in ...
A Highly Recommended Book
Florida's Fabulous Waterbirds: Their Stories
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/10/2009)![]()
This beautiful book is full of glossy photographs and concise descriptions of pelicans and the many other waterbirds that can be found in Florida.
Wikipedia On Pelicans
- Pelican - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Pelican From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: A pelican is large water bird with a distinctive pouch under the beak, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae.
Flying Pelicans
A Bird Photographer's Blog
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byDo You Have Any Pelican Stories?
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Reply
- WebCat WebCat Jul 5, 2009 @ 4:18 am
- Pelican's are cool. They tell me where the fish are on the ocean. I haven't seen any white pelican's here in Florida yet but I use to see them all the time in Kansas. I would watch a group of white pelicans line up in a semi-circle and slowly swim inward, closing the circle and chasing fish to the center so all of them could could grab a fish. They are very large birds.
You have a wonderful lens! Thanks for creating it.
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Reply
- Ener-G Ener-G Mar 2, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
- I love pelicans! Once when my daughter was quite young we were at the beach and came upon a pelican who was entangled in a fishermen's net. He stood taller than my daughter. I didn't think there was anything that could be done, but my aunt came up with a plan. She took a blanket, while my daughter took her trusty (and rusty) swiss army knife and while my aunt safely held the bird under the blanket, my daughter cut off the net. That night, my daughter entertained us by becoming the pelican and dancing the story of the rescue. It was magical.
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Reply
- naturegirl7 naturegirl7 Feb 3, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
- The Brown Pelican is our state bird and they have made a comeback here in Louisiana. We often see them in Lake Pontchartrain by the Causeway. Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens link to the appropriate plexo and vote for it.
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- Margo_Arrowsmith Margo_Arrowsmith Dec 9, 2008 @ 10:22 am
- I never thought much about the pelican until I read The Pelican Brief, which actually taught a lot about the history of the pelican and why they are so important, even though it was a thriller novel. I love how novels do that.
However your 5* lens reminds me that I really need to put on my list to see these creatures in real life! Thanks so much!
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- K_Linda K_Linda Nov 22, 2008 @ 8:56 pm | in reply to poddys
- My dh and I love watching them change positions as they fly so that the same one isn't in front all the time.
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