American White Pelican
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American White Pelican
American White
Pelican
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Pelecaniformes
Family:
Pelecanidae
Genus:
Pelecanus
Species:
P.
erythrorhynchos
Binomial name
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Gmelin,
1789
The American White
Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a very large
(50"–70") white bird with black wing tips and along, wide orange
bill. They have a wing span of approximately 3 m . They are graceful in flight,
moving their wings in slow powerful strokes.
Unlike the Brown Pelican,
the American White Pelican does not dive for its food. Instead it practices cooperative
fishing. Each bird eats more than 4 pounds of fish a day, mostly carp, chubs, shiners,
yellow perch, catfish, and jackfish.
White Pelicans nest in
colonies of several hundred pairs on islands in remote brackish and freshwater
lakes of inland North America. The most northerly nesting colony can be found
on islands in the rapids of the Slave River between Fort Fitzgerald, Alberta
and Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. The female lays 2 or 3 eggs in a shallow
depression on the ground. Both parents incubate.
They winter in central California
and along the Pacific coast of Guatemala; also along the shores of the Gulf of
Mexico.
Shooting by poachers is the
largest known cause of mortality. Colonies are sensitive to disturbance and
visits by humans can cause the pelicans to leave and abandon their nests.
This species is protected
by the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1972.
The scientific name for
this species combines Pelecanus, the Latin for pelican, with erythrorhynchos,
derived from the Greek words erythros meaning red, and rhynchos
meaning beak.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Pelecanus
erythrorhynchos. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN
2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for
why this species is of least concern
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_White_Pelican&action=history
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American White Pelican |
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Binomial name |
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Pelecanus erythrorhynchos |
The American White
Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a very large
(50"–70") white bird with black wing tips and along, wide orange
bill. They have a wing span of approximately 3 m . They are graceful in flight,
moving their wings in slow powerful strokes.
Unlike the Brown Pelican,
the American White Pelican does not dive for its food. Instead it practices cooperative
fishing. Each bird eats more than 4 pounds of fish a day, mostly carp, chubs, shiners,
yellow perch, catfish, and jackfish.
White Pelicans nest in
colonies of several hundred pairs on islands in remote brackish and freshwater
lakes of inland North America. The most northerly nesting colony can be found
on islands in the rapids of the Slave River between Fort Fitzgerald, Alberta
and Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. The female lays 2 or 3 eggs in a shallow
depression on the ground. Both parents incubate.
They winter in central California
and along the Pacific coast of Guatemala; also along the shores of the Gulf of
Mexico.
Shooting by poachers is the
largest known cause of mortality. Colonies are sensitive to disturbance and
visits by humans can cause the pelicans to leave and abandon their nests.
This species is protected
by the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1972.
The scientific name for
this species combines Pelecanus, the Latin for pelican, with erythrorhynchos,
derived from the Greek words erythros meaning red, and rhynchos
meaning beak.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Pelecanus
erythrorhynchos. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN
2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for
why this species is of least concern
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_White_Pelican&action=history