Pelican Facts

Pelican Facts

1. The Brown Pelican lives near the ground and builds its nest in weeds . It lives around the Gulf Coast and is extremely rare.

2. The pelican has a large, long and deep spoon-shaped beak to scoop up water containing fish. 

3. It also has webbed feet to enable it to swim.

4. Pelicans have strong wings with a wingspan of about 3m from tip to tip to migrate to warmer environments in winter.

5. The pelican’s bottom beak can carry about 10 litres of water!!!

6. The pelican eats about 1.8 kg of fish every day!!!

7. The pelican’s bottom pouch becomes brighter in the mating season to attract mate.

8. The pelican is a huge seabird among the largest living birds. It can fly with its neck pulled back on its shoulders.

9. The pelican has a long beak with a hooked tip and a huge pouch.

10. The pelican’s pouch is used as a dip net to catch fish.

11. The pelican has a reddish brown color on the back of the long neck.

12. The pouch is full of blood vessels.

13. The brown pelican has brown feathers. They have a enormous bill that catch fish. The pelicans head is yellow.

14. The brown pelican has dark brown webbed feet.The pelican has white feathers on the front of its neck.

15. The brown pelican uses the pouch to catch fish, feed its young , and cools itself.   

16. The pouch is full of blood vessels to keep it cool .  

17. The brown pelican is about four feet long.  

18. The brown pelican weighs roughly nine pounds.  

19. The brown pelican is one of the largest birds. 

20. Pelicans are also awesome swimmers. Pelicans live around water. This large bird lives along the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico in North and South America.

21. Pelicans that nest in northern areas where winters are cold often have two homes.  

22. Brown Pelicans can be found in coastal areas like sandy beaches and lagoons.

23. Brown pelicans hunt during the day.  

24. Brown pelicans are carnivores or meat eaters.  

25. They are diurnal which means they are awake during the day.  

26. Brown pelicans eat mostly fish and are carnivores.  

27. Brown pelicans build their nets from grass and sticks. 

28. Females lay 2-3 chalky-white eggs.  

29. The brown pelican is a plunger. The pelican drops from the air with its wings. The Brown Pelican of North America usually plunges or dives for its prey. 

30. The Brown Pelican has a long, straight bill with an enormous pouch attached to it.   This pouch holds three times as much as its stomach can. The pelican uses the pouch to catch fish, feed its young, and cool itself. 

31. The Brown Pelican is about 4 feet long and weighs about 9 pounds. When it spreads out its wings it is about 7 feet from wing tip to wing tip.

32. Pelican parents will only feed their own young.

33. The pelicans pouch holds three times as much as its stomach can.  

34. The mother pelican can carry food back to its young.

35. The brown pelican can eat fish from the sky.

36. The white pelican is almost pure white, except for dark wingtips.

37. Pelicans NEVER nest alone.

38. Brown pelicans put a bit more work into building their nests.

39. The young know who is their mom and dad.

40. The male and female make a nest out of sticks, reeds, and grass. The female lays two to three eggs a few days after the nest is completed. Both parents sit on the eggs and care for the young. The eggs are taken care of in an unusual way. The pelican will put its webbed feet over the eggs to keep them warm. The chicks hatch after about a month.

41. The American White Pelican seasonally migrate at high altitudes to avoid extreme weather and follow food sources.