I find Pelicans to be fascinating birds to photograph.  They are ODD, yet magnificent.  I just love pelicans!

When it comes to seeking distractions, as I recommend as Pit Buster Tip #14 in my book, pelicans really do the trick! Not only because they are so cool, but they live in nice places too! 

Facts out Pelicans

I did some poking around on the internet and found some interesting tidbits of information about pelicans:

• Pelican is easily recognized by its large body, short legs with webbed feet and a wingspan of 10 feet.
• Alcatraz Island was given its name by the Spanish because of the number of large numbers of brown pelicans nesting present. The word alcatraz is itself derived from the Arabic “al-caduos“, a term used for a water-carrying vessel and likened to the pouch of the pelican.
• Pelicans can be found on all continents except on Antarctica.
• Pelicans are one of the largest birds. They can reach between 4 and 6 inches in length, and between 10 and 30 pounds of weight.
• Pelican has the largest bill of all birds. It can reach 18 inches in length.
• Pelicans are heavy birds, but thanks to air sacs in their bones – buoyancy is not a problem. They can fly to the height of 10 000 feet using the warm wind currents.
• Pelicans eat fish mainly. Other than that, they can also eat turtles, crustaceans, and tadpoles. Very hungry pelicans will even attack and eat seagulls.
• When not eating, pelicans spend hours preening, snoozing, or sunbathing
• They are social birds and typically travel in flocks, often strung out in a line.
• The pouch is mainly used for feeding, but it can be also used as a cooling “device”.
• During the warm days, the pelican will swing its pouch to cool itself.
• Pelican can survive between 10 and 30 years in the wild.

The pelican is the subject of a popular limerick originally composed by Dixon Lanier Merritt in 1910:

A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week,
But I’m damned if I see how the helican.

Do YOU like pelicans?  Here is a video compilation of some of my many pelican photos.

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