Ask me anything about pelicans!

[MisterP]

Especially American white pelicans and California/Western brown pelicans. Having fed, rescued, cleaned, and been assaulted by them for 3.5 years as of January, I feel somewhat able to answer questions on them (and black-crowned night herons, turtledoves, pigeons, ibises, and snowy egrets too).
Budgies too.

[R3dD0g]

1. Do they really

carry their extra suit of clothes in their bill? :)

[arwalden]

2. What do pelicans make their nests out of?

[MisterP]

9. on the West coast, depressions in rocky areas are used on isolated islands

in the East, they nest in trees ("Hey, a fish just fell out of that elm!"); white pelicans nest in bunches on marsh islands, lakeshores, perhaps trees.

[mmm]

3. Have you ever seen a pelican that sought out human affection

like a cat or dog might?

[MisterP]

5. dunno, they seem more interested in fish,

but one will inspect people and hang around for a scratching (of him, not us)

[maveric]

4. Do Pelicans normally vote republican?

As I've heard that they do.

[MisterP]

7. doubt it, DDT almost made them extinct,

deregulated runoff, and letting some fishermen and sadists violate the ESA by crucifying them on wooden power poles, sawing off their upper bill, slashing their pouches, etc., etc., would be bad for all of 'em

[arwalden]

6. When Will Pelicans Deliver Babies Too?

[CanuckAmok]

8. Can I train one to be my trash-can, a la The Flintstones?

Because that would be cool.

[MisterP]

10. if it's fish!

:D (but the brown ones are endangered, and people often have grudges against pelis)

[Bertha Venation]

12. What kind of idiot holds a grudge against a bird?

eom

[MisterP]

15. I don't know, I just don't know

:(

[Bertha Venation]

13. What kind of idiot holds a grudge against a bird?

eom

[zx22778a]

11. A wond'rous bird is the pelican

His bill can hold more that his belly can.
He holds in his beak,
enough food for a week,
and I really don't know how the hell he can.

[BrotherBuzz]

16. OK Ogden, you beat me to it...

ˆ

[GURUving]

14. Why are they called pelicans? n/t

.

[MisterP]

17. Greek pelekan, according to Merriam-Webster

[BrotherBuzz]

18. They are great flyers...

I have watched them circle around on air currents to gain height till they glide off in some direction. How high can they climb and how do they decide who will be the leader of the squadron?
P

[MisterP]

19. dunno, but they stay in the 50-100 ft. range (so they can dive

into the water), and it's just chance who gets to be the foremost in line)

[GURUving]

20. Who would win a fight between

a pelican and a pterodactyl? and why?

[MisterP]

23. pelican, because pterodactyls are flattened, fossilized bones

:D
well, it depends on size, since most pelican fights are grunting, flapping, clattering messes with few injuries besides scratches; it's like jousting between people on stilts, and I suppose it'd be similar with pterodactyls...

[rumguy]

21. How closely related are white and brown pelicans?

Same genus? How come brown pelicans dive from above, and whites just sorta lolligag along scooping up fish?

[MisterP]

24. not too closely; same genus, but the species are quite different;

brown pelicans are oceanic, and need to dive quickly for fish; white pelicans are more river and lake birds, and cooperate more to corral fish (being more social)

[MisterP]

22. here's the site:

http://www.pacificwildlife.org/

[trof]

25. Pelican story

Last summer we were nosing around a marina in Fairhope, AL, on Mobile Bay.
I spotted a heap of feathers in an old wooden dory. When I approached, the "feathers" stood up and it was a Brown Pelican. He had what appeared (by outline) to be a rectangular plastic 1 quart motor oil container lodged in his throat. Couldn't get it up and couldn't get it down. He was sure in a world of hurt.

I went in the restaurant where we had just eaten lunch and got them to call the local wildlife rescue organization. We had to meet some other folks, so I guess I'll never know if the rescuers got to him or if they could get the container out.

That's why you shouldn't throw stuff like that overboard or leave it lying around where critters can get it.

[BrotherBuzz]

26. Why do I only see the black-crowned night herons...

in the daytime, and where do they and snowy egrets nest? I know that the great egrets (American egrets?) and great blue herons nest at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve but I never hear of the the nesting sites for the others.

Although they aren't nesting here, the American egrets hang out/sleep? in my neighbor's redwood tree (central valley, Calif.) for a bit every year. It's really cool to go out on moonlit nights and look at them (50 - 75 in one tree!)

[MisterP]

27. the night herons nest most anywhere, especially groves and marshes

egrets like trees and occasionally marshes; night herons eat mostly at night, but they can change their habits.

[randr]

28. I have seen a flock of brown pelicans

out here in Western Colorado. On several occasions I have seen a dozen or so down at a lake a mile or so from my house.
Do they migrate through the Rockies?

[MisterP]

29. I think there are inland colonies over central U.S. & Canada;

there are white pelicans in Alberta, and coastal brown pelicans may fly as far as the Salton Sea.
I'm sorta surprised there are some in the Rockies, though

[Robb]

30. Have you heard "Bested by Pelicans"

...by the Stiff Richards? :evilgrin: