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Cornell Labs:
(www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_White_Pelican/id)
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
ORDER: PELECANIFORMES
FAMILY: PELECANIDAE
One of the largest North American birds, the American White Pelican is majestic in the air. The birds soar with incredible steadiness on broad, white-and-black wings. Their large heads and huge, heavy bills give them a prehistoric look. On the water they dip their pouched bills to scoop up fish, or tip-up like an oversized dabbling duck. Sometimes, groups of pelicans work together to herd fish into the shallows for easy feeding. Look for them on inland lakes in summer and near coastlines in winter.
Size & Shape:
A huge waterbird with very broad wings, a long neck, and a massive bill that gives the head a unique, long shape. They have thick bodies, short legs, and short, square tails. During the breeding season, adults grow an unusual projection or horn on the upper mandible near the tip of the bill.
Color Pattern:
Adult American White Pelicans are snowy white with black flight feathers visible only when the wings are spread. A small patch of ornamental feathers on the chest can become yellow in spring. The bill and legs are yellow-orange. Immatures are mostly white as well, but the head, neck, and back are variably dusky.
Behavior:
American White Pelicans feed from the water’s surface, dipping their beaks into the water to catch fish and other aquatic organisms. They often upend, like a very large dabbling duck, in this process. They do not plunge-dive the way Brown Pelicans do. They are superb soarers (they are among the heaviest flying birds in the world) and often travel long distances in large flocks by soaring. When flapping, their wingbeats are slow and methodical.
Habitat:
American White Pelicans typically breed on islands in shallow wetlands in the interior of the continent. They spend winters mainly on coastal waters, bays, and estuaries, or a little distance inland.
My husband and I were sitting on a bench at the local park, when this goose wandered over to us. It came so close, we were sure that it was looking for a "handout." It even nibbled on my husband's boots. It finally walked away, making me wish I'd had a pocketful of corn. Later, as we walked back toward the parking lot, two cars pulled up with several people in each. When they got out of the cars, a large group of geese and ducks rushed toward them. They threw handfuls of bread to the hungry fowl. It is illegal to feed wildlife for a multitude of reasons, but like so many other things, we would have been "hard-pressed" to convince them that they were causing more harm than good. At least once a year we have observed a Canada Goose at this location with "angel-wing" caused in part by feeding them bread.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_wing
* See a goose with angel-wing taken at the same location in March 2020.
Dedication reception for the Jeff Conant Behavioral Research Lab at Texas A&M University's Mays Business School
[Photo: Michael Kellett/Michael Kellett Professional Photography]
People with addictive behaviors are often intensely aware of the irreconcilable paradoxes of life, and therefore feel existential pain most acutely.
Deepak Chopra
Great Blue Heron playing with a stick the same way a dog or cat plays with their toys. It did this for a few menutes