Pelican Facts

A Few Exciting Facts about Pelicans

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Paula Pelican: Life on the Lagoon was inspired by personal observation.

They are an amazing bird and have been around for over 65 million years. Pelicans in the wild can live to be about 25-30 years old. They were known as domestic birds in ancient Egypt and as fishing helpers in India. The pelican was a symbol of maternal love in early Christianity.

The figure of the pelican as a martyr and a model of human mercy appears in the art of the Middle Ages, as well as on coats of arms. It is presently the state bird of Louisiana, USA. It is also one of the mascots of Tulane University and is on its seal because of the Louisiana connection.

They are strong swimmers and use their four-toed webbed feet to push through the water. Brown pelicans can sight a fish when flying at heights up to 75 feet in the air and then will dive headfirst into the water. Depending on the height of the dive, they can submerge completely or only partially. The brown pelican has air sacs under their skin, which protect them from the impact of hitting the water during a high dive.

These air sacs help them surface when underwater, like a balloon, would pop out from underneath the water. Brown pelicans seem to be the only species that uses this method of fishing.

Whereas brown pelicans plunge-dive for their food from great heights, the white pelicans have a different strategy. They will form a line to chase schools of small fish into shallow water, and then scoop them up.

Seagulls often sit on a pelican’s head and try to steal a meal when the pelican opens its bill slightly to empty out the water.

Because of their strong breast muscles, they can hold their wings rigidly horizontal for gliding and soaring and can travel hundreds of miles a day to feeding areas.

They take advantage of rising warm air currents to carry them without having to flap their wings often. Pelicans are extremely social birds and often fly in flocks, usually in a single line, sometimes in “V” formation. A group of pelicans is called a pod.

Getting up into the air from the water can be quite difficult. They must hop over the water, beat their large wings, and pound the surface of the water with both feet together to get enough speed to take off into the air while paying attention to the wind direction.

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Brown Pelican Facts

Paula Pelican Life On The Lagoon
  • smallest member of the seven species of pelicans
  • scientists believe they may have lived up to 65 million years ago
  • measure 4 to 6 ft. from bill to tail
  • weigh from 8 lbs. up to 13 lbs.
  • wingspan is 6 ft. to 8 ft.
  • live 25 to 30 years
  • mother lays three eggs, and both parents take turns keeping the eggs warm with their feet
  • learn to fly 10 to 12 weeks after hatching
  • only type of pelican that plunge dives for food
  • can dive from 100 feet up in the air
  • dive into the water with such force that fish as far down as 6 ft. are stunned
  • have air sacs throughout their bodies that help them bob to the surface like a cork. These air sacs also regulate their body temperature
  • other birds, such as seagulls, sit on the pelican’s head and steal fish from the pouch when the pelican tips head down to drain water before swallowing
  • they can carry up to 12 quarts of water or 30 lbs. of fish at a time
  • all 4 of their toes are webbed, while most swimming birds have only three webbed toes
  • pelicans must hop on the water, beating their huge wings and pounding the surface of the water with their feet, to get the speed for rising into the air
  • they have extra strong muscles in their chest area that allow them to glide and soar for long periods of time. They can travel up to 100 miles at a time
  • usually fly in a single line, although sometimes make a “V” formation

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