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Brown Pelicans diving for fish

Pelecanus occidentalis

Photo by Geodialist
Published on Project Noah
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26.42, -82.07

Field Notes

Description:

"Large brown bird with huge pouchy bill used for scooping fish as it feeds. Unlike the white pelican, it is often seen diving from the air for fish." Source Credit: Common Birds Identification Guide, J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/pdf/common%20bird.pdf Video highlights: A pelican swallows a fish (near the middle of the video) as an opportunistic gull looks for a free meal; several pelicans are shown in flight.

Habitat:

"The J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located on the subtropical barrier island of Sanibel in the Gulf of Mexico. The refuge is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. It is world famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations." Source Credit: http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/

Notes:

Disclaimer: The photo and video was taken by Phil Wherry, my good friend and tech guru, during a recent visit to Sanibel, Florida. The multimedia is posted with written permission from Mr. Wherry, in accordance with the Project Noah Terms & Conditions. http://www.wherry.com/project-noah-permission/

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