- Breed Name: Pelicans
- Class: Aves
- Family: Pelecanidae; Rafinesque, 1815
- Pelicans are a large sized water birds
- They use their long beak and a large throat pouch for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before swallowing
- Brown pelicans dive for food whereas white pelicans feed while in floating
- Fossils record shows that Pelican bird is at least 30 million years old
- Lifespan:
- 15 – 25 years (In the wild)
- Upto 54 years in captivity
- Wingspan: 1.8 – 3.5 m (Large Adult)
- Mass:
- Brown pelican: 3.4 kg
- Great white pelican: 9.3 kg
- Distribution:
- Pelicans are found on all continents except Antarctica
- They inhabit warm regions mostly
- Their breeding ranges extend to latitudes of 45° South (Australian pelicans in Tasmania) and 60° North (American white pelicans in western Canada
- Feeding & Diet:
- Apart from fish, they also eat or pray on crustaceans, amphibians, turtles, and other birds. If it can fit down their throats
- Gender Identification: Pelican are dimorphic. Males are generally larger than females and have longer bills
- Reproduction Facts:
- Pelicans are gregarious and nest in colony
- Pelican pairings are monogamous for a single season
- Female lays at least two eggs and total clutch size can be up to six eggs
- Incubation takes 30–36 days
- Lower Classifications:
- American White Pelican
- Australian Pelican
- Brown Pelican
- Dalmatian Pelican
- Great White Pelican
- Peruvian pelican
- Pink-backed pelican
- Spot-billed pelican