Young pelicans feed on the contents returned from the parent's stomach by putting their entire head in a pouch on their bills. 1)
An interesting feature is the presence of air sacs under the skin of these birds. These allow them to stay afloat on the surface of the water, and protect their internal organs. 2)
The pocket in the pelican's beak can stretch so far that it can hold as much as 5 gallons of water. 3)
Pelicans can live up to 25 years, and more. 4)
A pelican will always turn a fish in its beak to swallow it from the head side. Because the fish from the head side is smooth, and from the tail side it could get stuck in the throat. 5)
Pelicans are found on every continent except Antarctica, in warm regions. Outside the circumpolar areas, it also does not inhabit northern, central, and western Europe, Siberia, the Sahara, northwestern Africa, New Zealand, Oceania, and the hinterlands and eastern coasts of South America. 6)
Pelican species include the pink, Australian, small, Indian, curly, beaked, brown, and Chilean pelicans. 7)
Depending on the species and sex, the pelican's body length ranges from 105 to 188 cm and weight from 3.5 to 15 kg. The wingspan is between 203-360 cm and the beak length is 265-500 mm.8)
In terms of size and body mass, the dalmatian pelican is one of the largest flying birds in the world. 9)
A distinctive feature of pelicans is a powerful beak, flattened at the top. Under the mandible is a skin sac in which the birds drain water. 10)
Pelicans have short and thick legs, ending in four toes connected by an amniotic membrane. They have air sacs under their skin that allow them to stay afloat. 11)
They are excellent flyers. They use both the muscle power of their wings in active flight and the weight-bearing plane of their own bodies in gliding flight. They bend their neck into an “S” shape during flight. 12)
Pelican nests are primarily made in holes dug into the ground, but some colonies also nest in trees. 13)
The chicks hatch unfeathered. After two weeks of life, they grow down. They are fed by their parents with returned, digested fish. At first, the parents put food into their beaks, and after some time the young put their heads into the bag by themselves. 14)
Except for fish, other organisms eaten by pelicans include crustaceans, amphibians, and turtles. 15)
Gulls often attack pelicans and try to steal their prey. 16)