American White Pelican- Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, Family Pelecanidae. This is a first for me! I never thought any self respecting pelican would live in the Midwest! But, was I wrong....... Can you spot one fish's mouth inside of the pouch? What kind of fish do you think it is? "Huge water birds with long flat bills and great throat pouches. Mainly eat fish. The American White Pelican has been known to have a wing span of up to 9.5 feet! Does not plunge from the air like the Brown Pelican but rather scoops up fish while swimming." Often works a team to harvest fish. These fantastic birds were spotted in the Brookville Reservoir in the Whitewater Memorial State Park at the Silver Creek Ramp in extreme eastern Indiana near the Ohio border. Water levels were low. (Photo: April 10, 2004, Canon 10D, EF 300mm f/4.0L IS USM, 1.4x teleconverter EF ll lens )
CLICK HERE to view a quicktime movie of these amazing White Pelicans!
TROPIC and NEAR-TROPIC BIRD COLLECTION
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JUMP to pg 1, pg 2, pg 3, pg 4, pg 5, pg 6, pg 7, pg 8, pg 9, pg 10, pg 11, pg 12, pg 13, pg 14, pg 15, pg 16, pg 17, pg 18
Photos Copyright R. Hays Cummins. Authorization required. For permission, contact hays@environment-education-press.org
Sources of species identification and other amazing info include (1) Cornell Lab of Ornithology--a fantastic site; (2)Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Peterson Field Guide Series, Fifth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company; (3) The National Audubon Society's Sibley Guide to Birds and (4) Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Third Edition, National Geographic, Washington, D.C.
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