|
Written by beachcomber
|
|
Not exactly Big Bird from Sesame Street, but just as entertaining! You can't miss them as they fly up and down the beach looking for fish... and then plop ! they dive into the ocean and bob up with a beakful ...
The regular diet of a Pelican usually consists of fish, but they also eat amphibians, crustaceans and on some occasions, smaller birds. They often catch fish by expanding the throat pouch, then they must drain the pouch above the surface before they can swallow. This operation takes up to a minute, during which time other seabirds are likely to steal the fish. White pelicans often fish in groups. They will form a line to chase schools of small fish into shallow water, and then simply scoop them up. Large fish are caught with the bill-tip, then tossed up in the air to be caught and slid into the gullet head first.
|
Adventures 
Comments (0)