Great American Pelican: The American White Pelican is one of the largest bird species in North America. It flies majestically with broad, white and black wings. When flying high, its wings appear completely white. Adults develop a prominent vertical plate on their beak during breeding season but shed these plates at the end of the year. These large and impressive birds have a total length of about 55-70 inches (1.4-1.8 meters) and a wingspan of about 95-120 inches (240-300 centimeters). Their average weight ranges from 11 to 20 pounds (5.0 and 9.1 kilograms).
Tawny Owl Facts and Scientific Name, Diet, Habitat or Life Span
Scientific Classification
According to biologists, the classification of the Great American Pelican is as follows:
- Domain : Eukaryota
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Pelecaniformes
- Family: Penecanidae
- Genus: Pelecanus
- Species: Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Body Structure and Appearances
The American white pelican (Pelicanus erythrorhynchos) bird is known for its large body and impressive habits. Let us discuss its anatomy:
- Size & Wingspan: These majestic birds are very large in size, their length is about 55-70 inches (1.4-1.8 meters). However, their most distinctive feature is their wingspan, which is about 95-120 inches (240-300 centimeters). During flight, their wings are somewhat black, but at this time the side color is visible.
- Head & Bill: The American white pelican has a very large head and the interesting thing is that its beak is also heavy and long. The average length of a male’s beak is 11.3-15.2 inches (290-390 mm) while the length of a female pelican’s beak is 10.3-14.2 inches (260-360 mm).
- Colouration: The colour of the feathers of these birds is mainly white but during flight the tips of their feathers appear black. Their legs are small but strong which enable them to swim and walk in water.
- Prehistoric appearances: Whenever you see an American White Pelican, you feel like you have gone back in time as their ancient looking features including huge beaks and high flying skills just leave our minds in awe.
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Distribution
Geographical Distribution
| Continents | Africa, Asia and Europe |
| Subcontinents | North Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Western Asia, South Asia |
| Countries | South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan SHOW LESS SEAS Aegean Sea See More Contries |
| Seas | Aegean Sea |
| Bio geographical Realms | Palearctic, Indomalayan, Afrotropical |
The American White Pelican (Pelicanus erythrorhynchos) is considered one of the largest North American birds. These majestic birds fly with incredible stability on broad, white and black wings. Here is a description of these birds and where they are found in the world:
- Breeding Population: Great American Pelican birds are spread throughout North America and make their home in the cold northern regions of Canada including islands along the Slave River and islands between Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Their nesting grounds are spread across the United States from Ontario to northeastern California.
- Interior North America: The breeding population is located in the interior of North America, with ranges extending from the Slave River between Alberta and the Northwest Territories in the north to Wyoming and northeastern California in the south.
- Migration:When it is time to breed, these American white pelicans migrate to areas of North America. These pelicans often prefer to live in the interior parts of the United States, especially around the prairie areas. After this, they start migrating to the southern parts of America and Mexico during the winter.
Habitat & Life Style
In general, the Great American pelican Birds (Pelicanus erythrorhynchos) prefers to live in a variety of wetland environments. Here are some details about their habitat and lifestyle.
01. Breeding Habitat:
During breeding in these species of birds, these pelicans build nests on different islands like lakes and rivers and lay eggs there. They prefer shallow water for building nests.
02. Feeding Areas:
These birds search for their food in shallow water and rivers, lakes because their diet mainly consists of fish and other amphibians from which they get abundant nutrients. These birds are also capable of collecting food by living in groups.
03. Winter Habitat:
During the winter, Great American pelicans are usually found around warm, coastal marine habitats such as protected bays and lakes. Coastal areas such as the Salton Sea in California are their main habitats during the winter.
These majestic Great American Pelican birds make an impressive sight as they fly with extraordinary stability on their graceful, broad wings and are able to rise to great heights in the direction of the rising wind currents, which is why they are seen circling gracefully while migrating or searching for food.
Diet & Nutrition
Great American Pelican (Pelicanus erythrorhynchos) is a spectacular type of waterfowl known for its huge orange beak, long neck and white feathers. Their diet includes the following things, which are as follows:
01. Primary Diet:
Great American pelicans are primarily carnivorous, particularly piscivorous. Their preferred prey are small fish that are less than half the length of their impressive bill. Fish species they prey on include minnows, carp, shiners, perch, and many other shallow wetland fish.
02. Additional Food Sources:
Their diet consists mainly of fish, although they can include other things in their diet when needed. Additional food sources include larval salamanders and some crustaceans, such as crayfish.
03. Daily Consumption:
Generally, a Great American Pelican needs about 4 pounds of food per day to survive, which gives them energy. Their long and pointed beaks help them catch fish even from underwater. When there is a shortage of food in their habitat, they migrate to other places in search of food by covering a distance of several kilometers.
Life Span of Great American Pelican Bird
The lifespan of the Great American White Pelican (Pelicanus erythrorhynchus) varies depending on its environment, habitat and ecosystem:
- If free-ranging, they can live up to 16 years or more.
- If reared and cared for properly and provided with adequate food and nutrients, these birds can live up to 34 years.
References:
https://bytica.net/great-american-pelican-diet/