White Pelicans

by Robert Bales

Title

White Pelicans

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

The beautiful water around these Pelicans was caused by the Spring run off and late in the afternoon.
The American White Pelican is a graceful flier, either singly, in flight formations, or soaring on thermals in flocks. They soar in different portions of thermals for different distances: wandering flights in lower portions of a thermal, commuting flights at middle heights, and cross-country flights in the upper reaches of thermal columns. They are skilled swimmers, but they do not plunge-dive for prey like their coastal relatives the Brown Pelican. Instead they make shallow dives from the surface of the water or just plunge their heads underwater. They often hunt for food in groups in shallow water.
The American White Pelican rivals the Trumpeter Swan as the longest bird native to North America. Both very large and plump, it has an overall length is about 50�70 in (130�180 cm), courtesy of the huge beak which measures 11.3�15.2 in (290�390 mm) in males and 10.3�14.2 in (260�360 mm) in females. It has a wingspan of about 95�120 in (240�300 cm).] The species also has the second largest average wingspan of any North American bird, after the California Condor. Body weight can range between 9.2 and 30 lb (4.2 and 13.6 kg),[4] although typically these birds average between 11 and 20 lb (5.0 and 9.1 kg). Among standard measurements, the wing chord measures 20�26.7 in (51�68 cm) and the tarsus measures 3.9�5.4 in (9.9�13.7 cm) long.[5] The plumage is almost entirely bright white, except the black primary and secondary remiges, which are hardly visible except in flight. From early spring until after breeding has finished in mid-late summer, the breast feathers have a yellowish hue. After moulting into the eclipse plumage, the upper head often has a grey hue, as blackish feathers grow between the small wispy white crest.

Uploaded

April 30th, 2014

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