White Pelican Flock
The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, movin...
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The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America and South America, in winter.
The American white pelican rivals the trumpeter swan, with a similar overall length, as the longest bird native to North America. Both very large and plump, it has an overall length of about 50–70 in, courtesy of the huge beak which measures 11.3–15.2 in males and 10.3–14.2 in in females. It has a wingspan of about 95–120 in. The species also has the second largest average wingspan of any North American bird, after the California condor. This large wingspan allows the bird to easily use soaring flight for migration. Body weight can range between 8 and 30 lb, although typically these birds average between 11 and 20 lb.
Unlike the brown pelican, which is found year-round in Florida, and non-breeding white pelican juveniles, healthy adult white pelicans are winter visitors to the state of Florida. In the summer, white pelican adults breed in colonies on lakes in the interior of western Canada and the northwestern United States.
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The American white pelican rivals the trumpeter swan, with a similar overall length, as the longest bird native to North America. Both very large and plump, it has an overall length of about 50–70 in, courtesy of the huge beak which measures 11.3–15.2 in males and 10.3–14.2 in in females. It has a wingspan of about 95–120 in. The species also has the second largest average wingspan of any North American bird, after the California condor. This large wingspan allows the bird to easily use soaring flight for migration. Body weight can range between 8 and 30 lb, although typically these birds average between 11 and 20 lb.
Unlike the brown pelican, which is found year-round in Florida, and non-breeding white pelican juveniles, healthy adult white pelicans are winter visitors to the state of Florida. In the summer, white pelican adults breed in colonies on lakes in the interior of western Canada and the northwestern United States.
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