Rickubis
Bird Page #9: Pelicans
This
page was born 07/05/2015. Rickubis designed it. (such
as it is.) Last update: 02/13/2025
Images
and
contents on this page copyright ©2002-2025 Richard M.
Dashnau
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That's me on a trail (an old picture from today's
(8/14/2015) perspective. I'm interested in most animals. But there are
a few creatures that can capture all of my attention
when they appear. Pelicans are one of them. When I see a
flock of them fly by (or even just one), I feel as if transported back
to an earlier epoch. Since I've been able to visit the
coastal ecology on occasion, I've been able to see the pelicans.
I've captured video and photos of pelicans over the years, and
I'll be placing some of them here. Older material will be
lower on the page. I hope visitors to this page enjoy the videos
as much as I do.
During one of my many visits to the Houston Museum of Natural Science
(HMNS), I viewed the new (at the time) Coastal Ecology display.
Among the information there was a
description of the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis); and its
history in Texas. I was surprised to learn that the population of Brown
Pelicans had declined greatly, but had
recovered. I have since found more information on the internet
such as: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/bpelican/
and http://www.esasuccess.org/birds.shtml
and a pdf
here https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0013_eastern_brown_pelican.pdf
.
An early threat to Brown Pelicans (and probably others as well) was from
fishermen starting in the 1920s and 1930s. Fishermen killed pelicans to
stop them from eating too many fish.
Scientific study found this concept invalid (Logically it made no
sense. If there were thousands of pelicans in the first place, and they
were a massive threat to fish--then why were there
still so many fish? That argument can be made for just about any
species. If species "X" is a threat to the environment, then why were
species "X" and the environment doing ok before
humans decided to take a look?) Later threats included "harvesting" of
pelicans for their feathers (used for fashion). But the worst threat
came near the 1940's with the use of DDT.
Pelicans were among the avian apex predators that were affected by the
introduction of DDT into the environment. With every step up the food
chain, contaminents in the environment
become more concentrated. Pelicans suffered, and could not
reproduce.
By the years 1967 -1974, there were only 10 breeding pairs of Pelicans
in the entire state of Texas. Just
TEN!! IN ALL OF TEXAS!! Near the time I
was in high school, Pelicans almost
disappeared from Texas...and maybe from everywhere else. But laws
were passed, and protections put into place, and now there are thousands
of pelicans in Texas skies again. That
is WONDERFUL. So-after 7/3/2015-I've taken an occasional road
trip to go watch pelicans--just because I can; because they could have
been wiped out 40 years ago, and I wouldn't
be seeing them now. I'm sharing pictures and video clips on this page so
folks who can't visit pelicans can see them here. Actually...
that's why I've shared most of the items on my website. (additional
note 01/26/2024): In December 2012, I discovered that American
White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
were spending winters at Fiorenza Park, which is much closer to were I
live. So I've been able to watch them, as well. They're on this page,
too.
01/24/2025 Other
predators--Cormorants, Egrets, and
Herons--were also hunting there but
seem focused on catching live prey.
However, American White Pelicans
(Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) were
paddling around, and they also
seemed interested in the fish
carcasses. Some of them seemed to be
following the Coots as they foraged
along the banks, and would
move in when a Coot seemed to find
something.
Other
Pelicans seemed to be scooping up
carcasses they'd found
themselves. More pictures and
videos of Pelicans at Fiorenza park
(and other places) on my Pelican Page.
01/20/2024
I went to Fiorenza Park, because it was sunny, and I wanted to see if
there were any effects from the recent cold weather. I didn't stay for
long, because it was still pretty cold. But there are always birds
there, and of course, possibly Bald Eagles. No Eagles on this day,
though.
A couple American White Pelicans Pelecanus
erythrorhynchos were leisurely working the shoreline close to
the low bridge. I saw them dip their beaks into the water, do a
slow probe or two, then come back up. I assumed they were trying to
catch fish--especially Armored Catfish--that might have been stunned
by the cold water. I shot a few
photo bursts, and a few video clips. I caught a very interesting
sequence.
It's
possible to tell when a Pelican has caught something after it has
dipped because there will usually be manipulation and swallowing
movements.
Light, focus were
just right when the Pelican turned towards me! We can see that
it had caught an Armored Catfish (probably Pterygoplicthys or
Hypostomus ). The fish didn't seem to have
extended its spines, but the Pelican tossed it around a bit anyway.
When it did, we can see the wonderful expansion of its bottom jaw
(lower beak)!
The Pelican juggled the Armored catfish a
few times (as almost all the birds that catch them do). Then it
finally swallowed the fish. There is video, which I may upload later.
As I edited these images, this limerick popped into mind. I had to go
online to verify the source, and found that it is also in public
domain. So...here it is:
The Pelican by Dixon
Lanier Merritt, 1913
"A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I'm damned if I see how the helican!"
From Fiorenza
Park on 01/14/2022.
I really enjoy seeing the American White Pelicans (I
just call them White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)) at
the park. The
sight of a raft of 20 or more swimming in formation with a
mass of Cormorants (mostly Neotropic (?) Nannopterum
brasilianum) is really something. They were at work today, and
I tried to
capture burst photos of the birds. This time, I think I
got really lucky and picked the right Pelican as it took off.
Its flight path, the burst mode setting, and a bunch of
other elements gave me
68 really nice high resolution shots as the pelican left the
water. Since the mechanics of bird flight interests me,
I'm going to share some of the pictures here, along with a
lower-res
anigif (320 x 240) of the entire series. I made the
anigif smaller so it would load easier. I always
post smaller images than the originals here for similar
reasons. I pressed the
shutter when
I noticed the pelican starting its take-off, so I missed the
very first push. Pic 1-- the wings starting to fold as
the legs begin to come forward. Pic 2-wings fold more to
prepare for lifting up
while legs continue moving forward. Pic 3-legs have
moved under and feet are a bit forward as wings continue up.
Pic 4-feet have broken the surface of the water as wings
begin to
straighten up.
Pic
5--Feet start back "double-paddle" thrust; wings are fully
extended and lifted, ready to push down for thrust. Pic 6
wings are pushing down (angled a bit, too) for lift and
forward thrust;
while the legs are straightened for double-paddle
forward. Pic 7--continuation of both wing and leg thrust
. Pic 8-- Double-paddle completed as feet leave the water,
while wings have completed
the down stroke. Look at that! Legs out and wings
flat across--same position is repeated in Pic 16. ( I'm
guessing at the mechanics here.)
Pics
9 -12 --the cycle repeats, as the distance between the Pelican
and the water increases.
Pics
13
-16 --the cycle repeats, as the distance between the Pelican
and the water increases. The timing of the camera burst with
this was cycle was wonderful! At first glance it seems like
I've just posted 8 pictures twice--but they are NOT the same
images. And of course, the anigif below shows all 68.
The anigif
below shows the entire sequence. Notice that with each
double-paddle/wingflap down cycle, the length of exposed legs
in the water gets longer as the pelican gains altitude.
What a magnificent sight! And what's even better, is
that I've been able to see these birds take off many,
many times over the last few years.
02/20/2021 A
few days after the Big February Freeze of Texas, I was out
at Fiorenza Park North again, It's not too far from home. I spent some time watching the American
White
Pelicans, and I was able to capture high-speed video clips of two
of them landing. I'd been wanting to capture that footage, and I
finally had two examples 10 minutes apart. If you
watch the video, which I have slowed 8 times, you'll be ableto see that
"water-ski" landing. It looks like fun! The two images below
are frames from the video. So, there's
a two-minute
video
here (mp4).
Coming in for a hydroplane
landing.
Take off, quick landing, dip and grab
01/09/2021
I've been going to Fiorenza park more
often lately. It's not too far from my home (about 20 minutes' drive)
and very few people are there when I am. As usual for
the winter months, many White Pelicans and Cormorants appear there.
I really enjoy seeing them forage together in large rafts, and
have taken a number of photos and
video clips over the last few weeks. I've chosen to post
what I saw today (January 9th) because I captured some unusual footage.
The images below a beautiful White
Pelican flying over, and then some long views of the opposite side of
one of the lakes (about 230 meters (761 ft) away from where I was
standing, and the fleet of
Cormorants and Pelicans as they swam across from there.
Majestic White
Pelican
Pelicans, Cormorants, G.B. Herons, Great Egrets,
Ibis...!!
This is just a part of the
flotilla.
12/21/2020 Since
this
March of 2020, I've been limiting exposure to crowds of
people--because of Covid19 protocols, of course. One of the
biggest reasons I was limiting my exposure was
so I wouldn't contract the disease, and then bring it to my
workplace. Regardless
of how my co-workers might live outside of work, I
didn't want to be the one who got infected, and caused
any disruptions for my friends and coworkers there. About
a week ago, this extra reason for vigilance became
unnecessary--because I don't work there any more. While
this may allow a bit
more freedom (at least until I find other employment), I
still have to be careful. So, I'm not sure if I'll be going
out more often. It is
still best to stay home. But I have been able to get
outside
the entire time, and have avoided groups of people. Today,
I visited Archbishop Fiorenza Park again. It was a beautiful
day!! Here a few pictures from that trip.
Cormorants and White
Pelicans
Cormorants and White Pelicans closer
White Pelicans and Cormorants even
closer
Nutria Swimming By
White Pelicans and Cormorants
White Pelicans and Cormorants
01/02/2017
I
like to watch pelicans. White pelicans are very large. Pelicans
usually catch fish. Brown pelicans often dive from quite high,
and then surface with their catch (if successful).
Much larger White pelicans don't dive like this, but paddle
along, and then dip down with their beaks to catch prey. But, to
increase their chances of success White pelicans "group feed".
That is, they form groups to herd schools of fish into
concentrated schools which they can exploit. I found a
study on this behavior: "Foraging Behavior of the American
White Pelican
(Pelecanus erythrorhyncos)in Western Nevada, by John G.T.
Anderson 1991" This had the most detail about what I
watched on 1/2/2017. I was at Fiorenza park
again. On previous visits,
I've seen White pelicans off in the distance, and also have seen
them fly over me. Today, I was able to watch them
group-feeding, and I followed them for a few hours as they
moved
back-and-forth across the lake. Occasionally, they moved a bit
closer, and then I filmed what I could. Along with the
White pelicans, there wasa great mob of cormorants. Most
references
that I could find of cormorants foraging with White pelicans
identify the cormorants as Double-Crested cormorants...so I'm
going to guess that's what I saw here. I can't pick out the
white
outlines around the rear of the beak on these cormorants that I
can see on Neotropic cormorants. At Fiorenza park on
January 2nd, 2017, I watched the pelicans at work. These
were
relatively small foraging groups (maybe about 5 or 10
pelicans--but many cormorants) which works best according to the
study. But at first there was a large group of 40 or so. The
movement
of the pelicans drives the fish, and when one starts to "dunk"
for fish, then others follow suit. This is because the fish will
disperse when pelicans start trying to grab them (according to
the
study). But I saw the cormorants diving around and through the
formation of pelicans all the time (which seems to refute the
previous statement about fish dispersal). After a few minutes of
the
pelicans dipping, most of the mass of cormorants would take off
to another part of the lake. The pelicans might fly a short
distance, or paddle some distance, and then they'd start
swimming
in formation again. Eventually the mass of cormorants would join
them, and the process was repeated. This is similar to the
behavior described in the study, though the environment was a
bit
different. For instance, I didn't see the pelicans herd prey
into shallows. The images below are just 4 random photos I
shot of the birds at work that day.
There was
so much going on in the midst of the group that it was hard to
pick out any single event. So...I just snapped a few images, and
shot some video clips when I thought the pelicans
were actually foraging. I shot some high framerate footage to
try to clarify some of the activity. The edited footage is
here
. I really enjoyed watching all this. The study (and other
sources) refer
to occasional kleptoparasitism by the White pelicans--since they
steal food from the cormorants and from each other. In the slow
motion clips (each of which represent 2 seconds of "actual
time" slowed down), I've caught a few unsuccesful attempts at
theft by the pelicans. I think I also found where a
pelican had a cormorant trapped inside its beak. That is also in
the same
video clip. I guess that perhaps the
pelican and the cormorant went for the same fish; or that the
cormorant tried to steal a fish from the pelican--which then
just grabbed the cormorant. But, at
the beginning, the other pelicans are clustered around the
pelican with the trapped comorant in what appears to be attempts
at stealing it from the pelican--or stealing my hypothetical
fish from
the cormorant inside the pelican's beak. It also looks like the
pelicans are engaging in some kind of "thuggery" and smacking
the cormorant around. But of course, that doesn't seem likely.
In
any case, I couldn't tell what eventually happened to the
trapped cormorant amidst all the activity. The images below are
frame grabs from the video that illustrate what I'm talking
about.
01 5 PELICANS GRABBING SOMETHING
O2
5 PELICANS LIFTING SOMETHING
O3
5 PELICANS HAVE A CORMORANT!
O4
5 CORMORANT IS IN THE POUCH
O5
5 CORMORANT TAIL SHOWS FROM POUCH
O6
5 CORMORANT IS STILL IN THE POUCH
O7
5 LOADED PELICAN TRYING TO FLY?
O8
5 LAST GLIMPSE OF THE CORMORANT
08/13/2015--
Quintana, Texas. I was able to shoot some video at
210fps. This time, I captured some clips of pelicans diving.
A search of the internet produced a very interesting paper:
"Prey capture by the Brown Pelican", by SCHREIBERR, . W., G. E.
WOOLFENDENA, ND W. E. CURTSINGER. 1975 I found it here. It
describes
what happens while the pelican dives.
The images below only show the entry into the water. They are
frames from the video clip here(mp4) . The clips also show what happens
after the dive. There are images of what happens
underwater shown in the study. Here is a description, taken
from the study above: 1) head
pulled back over shoulders and bend wings 2)
head is kept stable for sighting down bill at target
3) keeping wings bent increases
speed 4) wings are used to
correct trajectory 5) when bill
touches water, legs and wings pushed back,which thrusts bill
forward. 6)Bill enters water
with
pouch contracted between
lower jaw sections (flexible mandibular rami). 7)Jaw
positioned so prey is between upper and lower jaws. When prey is
in correct position, jaws are adjusted to
surround it. 8) Upper jaw *may*
also "herd" prey towards lower jaw which is allowed to stretch and
collect everything. 9)
Lower jaw parts allowed to expand and swell the gular pouch.
The
pouch can hold 10,000 cc of water (about 2.6 gallons) The entire
pelican weighs about 2.9 kg (6,4 lb), but the filled pouch can
weigh about 6.5 kg (14.3 lb). 10)The
head is NOT moved to
trap prey when full.The jaws close, keeping the filled pouch. 11) If pouch is empty, head and
filled pouch are lifted straight out, allowing water to pour out
the front of closed bill, which is
pointing down. 12) If there is
a fish inside, it is kept in by the closed bill. If there is prey
caught, it can take 60 seconds to pour out the water while keeping
prey inside the bill. then the head is
tilted back, and the fish is swallowed. So, it is fairly easy to
tell if a pelican has caught something by noting how quickly
it surfaces and lifts its head after a dive. In the video I
have linked
above, I have 2 examples of "misses" and 2 examples of successful
"catches". For the latter two, the pelicans were not quite
as cooperative, and were further away.
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Finally, this last
image (above right) is from another video clip here(mp4) .
I found the clip interesting because of what was going on behind the
pelican. First, another pelican can be seen
diving. Then, a couple fish appear in frame, and it looks like they have
jumped at least a couple feet out of the water. They also look like sharks
to me. Their bodies are sort of "oval" and not flat
--and it appears that the tail has two lobes, but one is longer than the
other. The shape of the pectoral and dorsal fins (from what I can see)
appears to be sharklike.
07/025/2015--
Quintana, Texas. Once again, I went out to look for the usual
things. I was able to shoot some video at 120fps. This
time, I captured some clips of pelicans grooming, and
flying. The first 11 images (below) are frames from the
first video clip linked here(mp4) . These are the groups of Pelicans
performing various grooming functions. One of the most interesting
was this "stretching" of their pouch. As the images show, a pelican
tilts back its head and apparently stretches out the pouch by doing
this. After the head-raising, the pelicans then pull their
head down, forming a strong curve in their neck. This seems to allow
for the pouch to be pushed "inside-out". It's a very odd sight,
since it appeared to me
that the neck showing inside the
pouch was bare, with no skin showing. According to the Sibley Guide
to Bird Behavior, pelicans to this to keep the skin flexible. There
is another part of the clip that shows a pelican
scratching its head with its foot. It keeps balance well, while
reaching under its
wing to scratch. It also turns its head and moves it towards the
scratching foot.
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The last image (below right) is a frame from
the second video clip linked here(mp4) . In this clip, a pelican flies
towards me, attempts to land, and then aborts the landing to fly
past the group.
Then, in the second part, a pelican lands among the
group.
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07/04/2015--
Quintana, Texas. Once again, I went out to look for dolphins
and pelicans...and whatever else shows up. This time I shot some
video at 120fps. I could STILL watch pelicans
soaring and diving all day...and I suppose I've done that. This
time, I captured some clips of pelicans diving for fish. The first
image (below left) is a frame from the first part of the video
clip
linked here(mp4) . The remaining images are from the
second part of the clip, and show the part where a dolphin can be
seen in the background as the pelican dives. I have more
clips
showing dolphins, but the clips are very short, and don't show much
of the dolphin's activities. Some day, I'll try to post some of
those clips.
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02/21/2015--
Quintana, Texas. Once again, I went out to look for dolphins
and pelicans...and whatever else shows up. This time I shot some
video at 210fps. I could watch pelicans
soaring and diving all day...and I suppose I've done that. I got
lucky and captured this Brown Pelican taking off from the
water--at 210 fps. Note how it lifts its wings clear of the water
first,
then gains speed by pushing with both feet in a "leaping-paddling"
motion. The image below left is a frame from the video clip
linked here(mp4) . Next, there is a clip
showing a Brown
Pelican (with the bright mating colors on its head) flying by,
also filmed at 210 fps. The image below center is a frame from the
video clip linked here(mp4)
.
Finally, there is a clip showing a Brown Pelican (with the bright
mating colors on its head) flying high, then slanting down to skim
just above the water, also filmed at 210 fps. The image
below right is a frame from the video clip linked here(mp4)
. The last clip is a great example of a Pelican using
"ground effect" or "compression" gliding. As the Pelican
gets close to the
surface of the water, the air is compressed under its body and
extended wings. This causes the air under the wings to become more
dense, and this increased density helps hold the
Pelican aloft. Therefore, it is using less energy to fly.
Notice that the Pelican has to rise a little higher to allow room
for the occasional wing-flap. Ground-effect doesn't start until
the
height above the ground is equal to or less than the wing span.
Above that distance, there is no air compression or
increased density.
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BROWN
PELICAN TAKING OFF
BROWN PELICAN
FLYING BY BROWN
PELICAN FLIES HIGH TO LOW
05/11/2013--
Quintana,
Texas. Many folks (especially "birders") like to visit
Quintana, and specifically the Neotropic Bird Sanctuary there.
While I do like to walk the sanctuary
occasionally, I really like to go to
the rock jetty that is just a little past the Sanctuary. The
jetties protect and show one of the openings to the Intracoastal
Waterway. I can (and do) easily
spend hours there watching the various forms of life as they
work this area. Pelicans are there, too. On this day, I happened
along when the Pelicans were hunting (fishing? foraging?)
and was able to capture some video. Click here(wmv) or here(mp4) to see 2
minutes' worth of Pelicans diving--filmed at 120fps.
12/01/2012-- I
was leaving a beignet shop in Chinatown when I notice a formation of
large birds flying overhead. When I looked closer (I grabbed a pair
of binoculars out of the car);
I saw that they were Pelicans! Big, White Pelicans. As I
watched, they moved off a little, and then swooped down to
land. That really caught my attention, and I got in the car
and drove
towards where I'd last seen the pelicans. Then I realized I was
heading towards Arthur Storey Park, and the large
water-retention area there. When I got there, I didn't see the
small flock
of Pelicans swimming. Instead, I saw a mass of white birds on the
island. The entire island was covered with White Pelicans! And...a
large number of Cormorants, and a few other wading
birds. I couldn't stay long, but seeing this group of big birds was
an unexpected treat.
11/24/2012-- I
finally made the trip to Quintana, Texas. I'd heard about it from
many of the birders that I'd talked to at BBSP. So, I drove
South on 288...and made it to Quintana. I didn't stay
for long, but I found the jetty (this is just one side of the
channel). And, I saw some Brown pelicans flying. Here are 2
pictures of them gliding by. I really enjoy watching the pelicans as
they
glide just above the surface of the water.
01/04/2009-- I
was walking along 40 Acre Lake trail at BBSP when a large flying
bird caught my attention. It was white, and I thought it was a Great
Egret. But, something about it didn't seem
right, so I looked at it through the binoculars. It was was a White
Pelican! Pelicans hardly ever visit the park, and I watched as it
flew out over Pilant Lake. I just assumed it was passing through.
I climbed the Observation Tower to see what I could. It was pretty
cold, and the breeze up at the top is pretty strong. My eyes teared
profusely, making difficult to see in some directions. When
I looked out over Pilant Lake, I found the Pelican again, and so I
was able to observe it through my camera. The full optical zoom
(20x) didn't help as much as I'd have liked, so I tried the digital
zoom (100x), and it worked surprisingly well. Today's RICKUBISCAM
(see RICKUBISCAM 01/04/09 below) is a frame capture from one of the
video clips of the Pelican foraging in the lake.
I was surpised at the leisurely dipping that the Pelican was doing.
I found out (according to The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and
Behavior) that this is common behavior for the White Pelican. The
Brown Pelican feeds on saltwater prey, and dives onto potential
food; while the White Pelican (the one I saw) prefers freshwater
prey, and does this dipping behavior. The Pelican's beak with
that large pouch (gular pouch) is used only to catch food--not to
store it. The pouch is sensitive enough (I don't know the mechanism)
so the Pelican can detect food even in darkness. The
White Pelican can also have a wingspan of about 9 feet! I
wanted to try to catch some photos or videos of the Pelican taking
off, but the cold finally made me turn out of the wind, but I at
least
shot some video footage of the Pelican foraging. An edited version
of some of the clips can be seen here
(wmv 16.5 mb).
As I was looking the other way,
some park visitors called up to me, and I turned in time to see the
Pelican flying right towards the tower. I turned the camera around,
and shot a couple bursts
of photos. These are mostly blurred ( it's hard to focus on a flying
bird). I did what I could with one of the images, and it at least
shows this striking bird. (See Pelican Flyby below)
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PELICAN
FLYBY
RICKUBISCAM
01/04/09
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Go back to the RICKUBISCAM
page.
Go back to the See
the World page.
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