Anyone who has observed this magnificent bird in close-formation flight, just brushing the waves as it scavenges the last bit of lift from the wind, must conclude that nature far exceeds man in understanding aeronautical design. The bird is huge, sometimes with a wing expanse of nearly 10 feet, and the head, outstretched and the neck neatly drawn up, belies the presence of the pouch which can if fully extended and wide stretched, encompass a fish weighing over a pound. And yet in flight, all this is obscured as it gracefully glides alone, in pairs or small groups of birds that are perhaps related or perhaps not. And if this is not enough, a gull may be accompanying the pelican(s). At once the gull is an ever-present companion, there to rob the pelican of its newly captured fish or if returning to the nesting area to prey on eggs and the defenseless young.
It has been said that the pelican uses its large, thin, skinny bag that hangs beneath its bill to dip-net small fish. In observing white pelicans in the race waters below the dam at Lewis and Clark lake on the Missouri River, it does appear that they are active in the water perhaps catching confused or injured fish that have passed through the turbines. They swim in perfect formation, not unlike their patterns in flight. A lead pelican dips its head beneath the water and in synchrony, the others follow him in searching the clear cold water for today's meal. How successful they are is impossible to judge. With head raised, water drained from the pouch, the point pelican returns to its vigilant role awaiting the next fish. As pointed out in the book, Birds in America, while it was once thought the pelican could convey live fish via the extended pouch, this was questioned by Audubon who pointed out that it is doubtful that the pelican could fly at all with his burdensome pouch so out of trim.
The brown pelican is perhaps the most familiar of the some ten species that exist. This is the common pelican of Florida, the Gulf and Atlantic coast. This is the bird that we see crashing down from a height of 10 to 50 feet into the waves. He is often successful in capturing his prey, as upon emerging from the deep, he is seen to pause sometimes for up to a minute, then raise his head, straightening his neck and with a quick motion, rearranging his catch so that it can be easily swallowed. Anyone that has tried to spot fish in the water, regardless of angle, distance or lighting, must be awed by the vision of this strange creature. How can it see the fish, determine the depth, direction in which it is swimming, size (for a fish too large is of no value), and perhaps variety; and then plunge headlong with wings folded to increase speed and reduce impact upon entering the water; catch the fish; and bob to the surface. Amazing!
But on land (a convenient post, tree limb or sign will do) the pelican reveals itself in all its ugliness. It is ungainly, if not uncouth. As it preens itself, the beak carefully arranges feathers wet by a recent dunking. But no matter how it tries, it cannot obscure the fact that it is truly ugly. The thin, large, skinny bag that hangs from the lower part of the bill has been said to be quite considerable in its capacity, and it dangles like a dowagers wrinkled neck. It does not add any to the attractiveness of this bird. And if this is not enough, just like our own species, as it passes through puberty; in the case of the pelican at the beginning of breeding season, the pelican develops an enormous zit (called a excrescence by birders) on its upper mandible (nose if you prefer).
William Finley wrote in Birds of America; "The first time I ever saw a motley crowd of half-grown pelicans, I thought Nature had surely done her best to make something ugly and ridiculous. It was a warm day and the birds stood around with their mouths open, panting like a lot of dogs after a chase, their pouches shaking at every breath. When I went near, the youngsters went tottering off on their big webbed feet with wings dragging on this side and that, like poorly handled crutches. The youngsters huddled together by hundreds in a small place. Those on the outside pushed and climbed to get near the center. till it looked worse than any football scrimmage I ever saw." If one looks at the immature pelican, one is reminded of a plucked chicken, ready for the boiling pot. But, the large head, extended neck and duck like feet remind you that this is not an ordinary bird."
Finley further wrote; "One might wonder how such a huge-billed bird as a Pelican could feed helpless chicks just out of the egg. It was done with apparent ease. The old bird regurgitated a fishy soup into the front end of his pouch (wonder how Finley identified the bird as male?) and the baby Pelican pitched right in and helped himself out of this family dish.
As the young bird grew older and larger, at each meal he kept reaching farther into the big pouch of his parent until finally, when he was half-grown, it was a most remarkable sight. The mother opened her mouth and the whole head and neck of her nestling disappeared down the capacious maw, while he hunted for his dinner in the internal regions."
The fishing habits of the white pelican and the familiar brown pelican of Florida&rsquos waters are distinctly different. So the following is a research proposal that I hope will find interest to birders, as it will help distinguish whether the individual bird is pressed to accept the practices of its nest mates or whether it is inborn, imprinted in the pelican&rsquos DNA and immutable.
Imagine if you will. Eggs of the brown pelican are placed in a nest having white pelican eggs and the nesting bird is a white pelican. Upon hatching, will the mother bird accept this strangely coloured transplant or will it be ignored. Once having reached maturity will the brown pelican use the same fishing techniques of the white pelican or will it revert to the practice of a soaring flight, plummeting dive and capture familiar with its genetic parents.
Likewise, will a white pelican egg when hatched in the presence of brown pelicans be accepted by its mothering hen or will it be refused food. Will it when mature revert to the practice of swimming and catching fish by a quick duck of the head into the water.
This proposal of observing the habits of the pelicans will be much more informative than those where a migratory bird egg is nested with a companion species, as example the whooping crane with the sandhill cranes.
Knowing what nature's imprint is, may give us pause in considering our treatment of fellow humans.
In deference to Ogden Nash;
"the pelican's beak can
hold more than its belly can".
My observation, in agreement with Audubon:
The pelican is one of nature's delights,
I wonders; how with its beak full, it flights.
****
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