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are
very large seabirds, easily recognized by their huge bill with
pouches, webbed feet and wide wingspans. They belong to the family
of Pelecanidae in the order of Pelecaniformes.
Worldwide exist 7 species, which look very similar to each other and
are scattered on all oceans except the
Antarctic one. In Ecuador two species
occur, the Brown Pelican, which is featured on this page and
is very common in Galapagos and all along the Ecuadorian mainland
cost and the larger Peruvian Pelican, an austral visitant and found in small numbers
on the southwest Pacific coast. |
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The Brown Pelican is the most common one
found in Galapagos and all along the Pacific coast. Although the
smallest pelican specie, it is still a
large bird, measuring up to 130cm, weighing around 10 kg and
with a wingspan of over 2.50m. The Peruvian is very similar, a
little bit larger and with white on the upper wings and a
more colorful bill. Both pelicans are the only
dark ones in the world as the other 5 species are mostly
white. Brown Pelicans nest in
trees on many Galapagos islands and on Santa Clara island off Ecuador. They are
saltwater pelicans staying
relatively close to shore and often can be observed roosting in
mangroves. The Brown Pelican ranges form the Southern USA to Ecuador on
the Pacific coast and to northern Brazil on the Atlantic coast
and is also found in the West Indies. Peruvian Pelicans live
along the Pacific coast from southern Ecuador to central Chile. |
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Their
most prominent feature are their large bill with the
distensible pouch under the lower mandible. That pouch is
not a fish storage device but used primarily for catching fish.
Opening the bill and grabbing the fish the pouch fills with
water with the prey inside. Afterwards it drains the water by
opening the bill. That is often the opportunity for
opportunistic birds like gulls snatching the fish right our of
their mouth.
To maintain the flexibility of their pouches, pelicans perform
pouch exercises like stretching or turning it inside out. Once
a pouch is damaged and cannot hold water anymore, the bird
will eventually starve to death. |
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All pelicans live on a diet of
fish. Some, like the American White Pelican, catch fish on
fresh water lakes and rivers and use coordinated fish
drives,
where two or more pelicans use different strategies
to drive fish to shallow locations where it can be more easily
caught. Others like it is the case with the Brown or
Peruvian Pelicans fish in the oceans catching anchovies and
sardines by Plunge Diving. Unlike the boobies, which
enter the water like a dart without any noticeable splash and
submerge several meters deep, the pelican enters with the head
first and wings stretched back (see photo)
and the body does not submerge completely and
makes a big splash. While underneath they scoop up the fish
with the water in their pouch which may hold up to 10 liters. |
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Pelicans
stay monogamous for the breeding season and are
colonial nesters, building in the case of the Brown
Pelican
of Galapagos
stick nests
in shrubs or trees. Females lay
1
- 6 eggs
(usually 2-3) and replace any eggs lost early. Both parents
incubate for 4 to 5 weeks and care for the altricial young (naked at
birth) which hatch asynchronously. Often only the older one or two
chicks are fed adequately depending on the supply. The
chicks, which survive, start to fledge
after 9 weeks. |
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Pelicans are often seen flying in aerial
formation along the coasts (photos taken in Manabi). As
do geese they take advantage of the air turbulence at the
end of the wingtip of the bird in front of them. |
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ECUADORIAN SPECIES : |
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Name |
Scientific |
Location |
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Brown Pelican |
Pelecanus occidentalis |
Galapagos & Pacific Coast |
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Peruvian Pelican |
Pelecanus thagus |
Southwest Pacific Coast |
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Birding Vocabulary |
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Asynchronous Hatching: chicks emerge
from the eggs
over several days. |
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Synchronous:
or simultaneous hatching where all chicks hatch within a day |
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