In North America, Georgia is home to two distinct species of Pelican. These include the Brown Pelican and the American White Pelican.
Throughout the year, the Brown Pelican can be easily sighted in Georgia. However, the American White Pelicans are not frequently observed in this region.
Pelicans are among the largest avian creatures worldwide and are recognized by their massive bills, expandable throat pouches, and impressive feet. Despite their substantial size, they possess a light structure due to air pockets present in their skeleton and skin, aiding in buoyancy. Their elongated wings enable graceful soaring during flight.
Across the globe, there exist a total of eight pelican species, with two residing in North America, namely the American White Pelican and the Brown Pelicans.
During the breeding season, the facial skin, throat, and bills of pelicans undergo vibrant color changes, and some even develop additional growths on their bills.
Pelicans exhibit colonial breeding behavior, forming colonies comprising up to 50,000 individuals. Depending on the species, these colonies can either nest on the ground or in trees. After approximately 25 days of nesting, the young pelicans assemble in “creches,” consisting of up to 100 juveniles. Remarkably, parents can recognize and exclusively feed their own offspring.
Although pelicans are known to prey on various animals, they are not classified as birds of prey, a distinction reserved for raptors. Their primary diet consists of fish, yet they also consume crabs, frogs, snakes, mammals, birds, and insects.
To catch fish, pelicans employ their remarkable throat pouch, which enables them to capture their prey and drain out excess water before ingestion. Young pelicans also directly feed from their parents’ pouches.
To assist in identifying the types of pelicans found in Georgia, this guide draws from the data collected by avid bird watchers on ebird and avibase, providing genuine information regarding the sightings of these birds.
Georgia’s Pelican Species: Two in Number
The Brown Pelican
Brown Pelicans are present in Georgia throughout the year, primarily observed in the southeastern region of the state. Bird watchers have recorded their presence in 2% of summer checklists and 3% of winter checklists submitted for the state.
Non-breeding adult Brown Pelicans typically possess white heads and necks with faint yellow foreheads. Their elongated bills display a combination of yellow and orange hues. Their bodies exhibit grayish-brown tones, complemented by short black legs and webbed feet. Juveniles display brown heads, necks, backs, and wings, with bluish-gray bills, and light brown undersides.
The Brown Pelican comprises five subspecies, two of which breed in the United States. The Pacific Coast variant is known as P.o.californicus, while the Atlantic Coast variant is identified as P.o.carolinensis.
The distinctions between the Pacific and Atlantic Brown Pelicans become more apparent during the breeding season. Both species exhibit white heads with more pronounced yellow foreheads. The color of their napes transitions from white to dark brown. Atlantic Brown Pelicans possess olive-brown throat pouches, whereas their Pacific counterparts feature red skin in this region.
- Pelecanus occidentalis
- Length: 48 – 50 inches (122 – 127 cm)
- Weight: 131.2 ounces (3718 g)
- Wingspan: 78 – 84 inches (198 – 213 cm)
Brown Pelicans breed, migrate, or remain year-round along the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts of North America, extending to northern South America.
These pelicans inhabit shallow water environments, residing permanently in estuaries and coastal marine habitats. During rest, they can be found on mangrove islets, sandbars, breakwaters, and offshore rocks.
One distinguishing feature of Brown Pelicans is their exceptional diving ability, enabling them to plunge into deep ocean waters to capture prey in their expansive throat pouches. Upon resurfacing, they drain the water from their pouches, facilitating immediate ingestion of the catch.
Their diet primarily consists of fish such as sardines and herring. When not diving, they leisurely swim and seize prey using their bills. They also supplement their diet with crustaceans, frogs, eggs, and other young birds.
Brown Pelican vocalizations: Adults tend to remain silent, occasionally emitting grunts, while juveniles squawk to request food.
Brown Pelican nests are predominantly constructed on the ground rather than in trees. Islands, mangroves, and cliffs often serve as concealed and protected nesting sites. Females construct nests using reeds, leaves, pebbles, sticks, and soil. Each female lays two to four eggs, which are jointly incubated by both parents for approximately one month.
Fun Fact: To incubate their eggs, Brown Pelicans employ their webbed feet, covering the eggs. However, this practice became detrimental to the species when the pesticide DDT caused thinning of the eggshells, leading to breakage due to the weight of the parent’s feet. Numerous conservation efforts were required to restore Brown Pelican populations.
The American White Pelican
While American White Pelicans are not commonly found in Georgia, they can be spotted throughout the year, particularly during winter along the state’s southeastern coast.
These large soaring birds possess the second-largest average wingspan among North American avian species.
Non-breeding adult American White Pelicans exhibit a white plumage, with black flight feathers visible only during flight or when the wings are spread. They possess bluish-gray eyes and yellow facial skin surrounding their eyes. Their bills, pouches, and feet display a pale orange hue. Juveniles exhibit light gray feathers with darker brown napes.
Breeding adult American White Pelicans feature distinct color variations compared to non-breeding individuals. They develop a yellow plate, resembling a horn, on their upper bills. Their bodies remain entirely white, but their eyes, bills, legs, and feet intensify in vibrant orange shades.
American White Pelicans undergo several molting changes referred to as “eclipse.” In spring, a visible yellowish patch appears on their breast and chest, while blackish feathers emerge on their heads during the summer.
- Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Length: 60 – 63 inches (152 – 160 cm)
- Weight: 246.4 ounces (6983 g)
- Wingspan: 96 – 110 inches (244 – 279 cm)
American White Pelicans breed in remote inland lakes across North America before migrating for winter to the southern Pacific Coast of the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Central America. During migration, they can be observed in various western and central US states.
These pelicans primarily inhabit shallow freshwater lakes, wetlands, and the periphery of lakes and rivers. During winter, they can be found in coastal bays, inlets, and estuaries, where they forage in shallow water and rest on sandbars.
Their diet predominantly consists of fish. American White Pelicans swim on the water’s surface, employing their substantial bills to capture prey. They also engage in cooperative foraging with other birds, strategically herding fish toward the shoreline, facilitating efficient scooping.
American White Pelicans are opportunistic feeders, traveling long distances in search of better feeding grounds. Additionally, they consume crayfish, amphibians, salamanders, and are known to pilfer fish from other birds on the water’s surface.
American White Pelican vocalizations: These birds are generally silent, emitting only a few grunts. However, young pelicans in large colonies can be quite noisy, clamoring for food.
Nests of the American White Pelican are simple, shallow depressions on the ground. Twigs, sticks, reeds, and other materials are added on top of the soil to provide protection for the eggs.
Females lay one to two eggs, incubated jointly by both parents for up to thirty-six days. Unfortunately, due to siblicide (when one sibling kills the other), only one chick survives in each nest.
Fun Fact: The remarkable bill of the American White Pelican can hold up to three gallons of water. When scooping fish from the sea, the pelican tilts its bill downward to drain the water, allowing for the swallowing of the remaining fish within its throat sac.