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Difference between revisions of "American White Pelican" - BirdForum Opus

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[[Image:American_White_Pelican.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by {{user|Leslie|Leslie}}<br/>Photo taken: Westlake Village, [[California]], USA.]]
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[[Image:American_White_Pelican.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Coming into breeding plumage<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Leslie|Leslie}}<br/>Westlake Village, [[California]], [[USA]], 5 January 2004]]
 
;[[:Category:Pelecanus|Pelecanus]] erythrorhynchos
 
;[[:Category:Pelecanus|Pelecanus]] erythrorhynchos
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==Identification==
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[[Image:PELI PREEN EM 0256.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Supplemental plumage <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|blubird|blubird}}<br />Las Gallinas, San Rafael, [[California]], 18 July 2008]]
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Length 127-178 cm, wingspan 240-300 cm, weight 5-8.5 kg.
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*A huge white bird
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*Long flat orange-yellow bill (flushed red during courtship display) with elastic pouch from the throat to the lower mandible which expands when filled, orange legs.
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*Black primary and secondary feathers.<br />
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'''Breeding''': has short yellowish crest on back of head and an erect horny plate on upper mandible.<br />
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At the end of the breeding season they undergo a few changes to the breeding plumage appearance. The "horn" on the upper mandible is lost, and many birds show short gray feathers on the crown and nape, which is described as "supplemental" plumage.<br />
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'''Juvenile''' duskier gray-brown than adults.
  
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==Identification==
 
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55-70" (1.4-1.8 m). W. 8' (2.4 m). A huge white bird with a long flat bill and black wing tips. In breeding season, has short yellowish crest on back of head and horny plate on upper mandible. Young birds duskier than adults. <sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>
 
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
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Breeds from [[British Columbia]] and Mackenzie south to northern [[California]], [[Utah]], and [[Manitoba]]; also along [[Texas]] Gulf Coast. Winters from central [[California]], Gulf Coast, and [[Florida]] south to [[Panama]].   <sup>[[#References|1]]</sup> Annual vagrant to most states in the northeast and along the east coast.
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Breeds from interior [[British Columbia]] and Mackenzie south to northern [[California]], [[Utah]], and [[Manitoba]]; also along [[Texas]] Gulf Coast. Winters from central [[California]], Gulf Coast, and [[Florida]] south to [[Panama]].<br />
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Annual '''vagrant''' to most states in the northeast and along the east coast.
 
==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
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Monotypic.
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This is a [[Dictionary_M-O#M|monotypic]] species<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>.
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==Habitat==
 
==Habitat==
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Shallow lakes and coastal lagoons. <sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>
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Shallow freshwater lakes and marshes; also uses islets in saline lakes for breeding. In winter also on coastal lagoons and brackish ponds.
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==Behaviour==
 
==Behaviour==
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American White Pelicans are gregarious birds, often associated with [[Double-crested Cormorant]]s. A flock of migrating American White Pelicans is a majestic sight--a long line of ponderous birds, flapping and coasting. Each bird seems to take its cue from the one in front of it, beginning to flap and starting a glide when its predecessor does. These birds ride rising air currents to great heights, where they soar slowly and gracefully in circles. These birds are more buoyant than [[Brown Pelican]]s and do not dive for their food. They cooperate to surround fish in shallow water, scooping them into their pouches. They take in both water and fish, and then hold their bills vertically to drain out the water before swallowing the food. Because of pesticides, human disturbance, and the draining of wetlands, this species is in decline. The number of active colonies has dropped sharply in recent decades.  <sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>
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[[Image:Blue Skies2.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|kmdipaolo|kmdipaolo}}<br />West Alton, [[Missouri]], 1 April 2008]]
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====Diet====
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'''Nesting''': 1-6 whitish eggs on a low mound of earth and debris on a marshy island; occasionally on rocky islands in desert lakes. Nests in colonies. <sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>
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They work cooperatively in small groups, herding fish into shallow water and then scooping them up in their gigantic pouches.
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====Breeding====
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They lay 1-6 (most often 2) whitish eggs on a low mound of earth and debris on a marshy island; occasionally on rocky islands in desert lakes. Nests in colonies. <br />
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The plate-like growth(s) on the upper mandible are shed after the eggs are laid.
 
====Vocalisation====
 
====Vocalisation====
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Usually silent; grunts or croaks on nesting grounds. <sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>
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They are mostly silent but will make croaking noises on the breeding grounds.
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====Movements====
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Regular North–South migration; all migration over land, at times over deserts or mountains.
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[[Image:American White Pelican 2637.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Head shot in breeding plumage, showing the horny "plate" <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|blubird|blubird}}<br />Lake Merritt, Oakland, [[California]], [[U.S.]], 3 April 2011]]
 
==References==
 
==References==
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#[http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=BD0174 enature]
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#{{Ref-Clements6thAug19}}#{{Ref-HBWVol1}}#Knopf, F. L. and R. M. Evans (2004). American White Pelican (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos''), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.57
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#Elliott, A., Christie, D.A., Jutglar, F., Garcia, E.F.J. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). American White Pelican (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos''). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52615 on 4 March 2020).
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{{ref}}
  
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==External Links==
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{{GSearch|"Pelecanus erythrorhynchos" {{!}} "American White Pelican"}}
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{{GS-checked}}1
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<br />
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<br />
  
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==External Links==
 
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{{GSearch|Pelecanus+erythrorhynchos}}
 
 
[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Pelecanus]]
 
[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Pelecanus]]

Latest revision as of 21:32, 20 February 2023

Coming into breeding plumage
Photo © by Leslie
Westlake Village, California, USA, 5 January 2004
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Identification

Supplemental plumage
Photo © by blubird
Las Gallinas, San Rafael, California, 18 July 2008

Length 127-178 cm, wingspan 240-300 cm, weight 5-8.5 kg.

  • A huge white bird
  • Long flat orange-yellow bill (flushed red during courtship display) with elastic pouch from the throat to the lower mandible which expands when filled, orange legs.
  • Black primary and secondary feathers.

Breeding: has short yellowish crest on back of head and an erect horny plate on upper mandible.
At the end of the breeding season they undergo a few changes to the breeding plumage appearance. The "horn" on the upper mandible is lost, and many birds show short gray feathers on the crown and nape, which is described as "supplemental" plumage.

Juvenile duskier gray-brown than adults.

Distribution

Breeds from interior British Columbia and Mackenzie south to northern California, Utah, and Manitoba; also along Texas Gulf Coast. Winters from central California, Gulf Coast, and Florida south to Panama.
Annual vagrant to most states in the northeast and along the east coast.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Shallow freshwater lakes and marshes; also uses islets in saline lakes for breeding. In winter also on coastal lagoons and brackish ponds.

Behaviour

Photo © by kmdipaolo
West Alton, Missouri, 1 April 2008

Diet

They work cooperatively in small groups, herding fish into shallow water and then scooping them up in their gigantic pouches.

Breeding

They lay 1-6 (most often 2) whitish eggs on a low mound of earth and debris on a marshy island; occasionally on rocky islands in desert lakes. Nests in colonies.
The plate-like growth(s) on the upper mandible are shed after the eggs are laid.

Vocalisation

They are mostly silent but will make croaking noises on the breeding grounds.

Movements

Regular North–South migration; all migration over land, at times over deserts or mountains.

Head shot in breeding plumage, showing the horny "plate"
Photo © by blubird
Lake Merritt, Oakland, California, U.S., 3 April 2011

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1992. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334108
  3. Knopf, F. L. and R. M. Evans (2004). American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.57
  4. Elliott, A., Christie, D.A., Jutglar, F., Garcia, E.F.J. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52615 on 4 March 2020).

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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