Pelicans

There are two different species of pelicans that can be found in North America. The brown pelican is primarily found in coastal habitats along the East, West and Gulf Coast. The American white pelican breeds on fresh water lakes in the north central plains of the continent. Here in Minnesota white pelican breed on some of the lakes in the northern and western parts of the state. Here in the south eastern part of the state, where I live, we often see them while they are migrating to their wintering grounds in Mexico, Central America and along the southern coast of the United States.

White pelicans are large birds, one of the largest found in North America. Their diet consists mainly of fish which they catch by dipping their beak into the water as they swim across the surface. The bottom portion of the beak expands allowing them to capture a large volume of water. They then sift out the water and swallow the remaining fish and aquatic invertebrates. Often groups of white pelicans will hunt cooperatively swimming in circles to round the fish up.