Pelicans

Pelicans on Twin Lakes in Iowa USA
This is my entry for @juliank #animalphotography.

I have always thought of pelicans as being an ocean loving creature and was truly surprised to see them happily swimming on a small lake in the midwest. The first picture is my own, the remainder are copied from Wikipedia site. I am a curious person by nature so I started looking for information on this bird and found out many interesting things.

The migration route of these large fowl surprised me, always thinking they were ocean birds. Apparently only the Brown Pelicans love the open seas. The American White Pelican prefers to stay inland and searches the deserts and mountains for small lakes and estuaries.

These birds are ancient and have not really changed much in 30 million years. Fossils have been found and they are diffinately related to at least 8 pelican species.

They originated in the European continents, specifically France and over time to the Americas. Pelicans have been in America longer than the Trumpeter Swans, another large water fowl that we all love to see with their long graceful necks.
Pelicans in the wild can live to 16 years of age and are quite large in weight and wingspan. They can weigh between 10-20 lbs. ( 5.0-9.1 kg) The wingspan, 8.0-9.5 ft. (2.44-2.9 m) and are second only to the California Condor. Very large and prehistoric looking creatures as well.

They do have black wing feathers, but they are not noticible unless the birds are in flight. The Bill is long and flat on top and during the mating season they grow a horn on the bill. Apparently this is very attractive to other birds and after the mating and eggs have been layed, the horn is sluffed off.

Both parents incubate the eggs, which can be from 1-6. It takes around 30 days for the eggs to hatch and another 4 wks before they fledge.
These large fowl consume around 4 lbs of food a day which includes smaller fish such as perch, crapy, fingerlings, crawfish, salamanders and other amphibians. (Yuck)

During migration in the fall months of September and October these creatures soar at an amazing altitude of 10,000 ft. and travel about 100 miles at a time. Incredible in my mind for such a large bird.