Australian Pelican

Pelicanus conspicillatus
Despite its name, the Austrlian Pelican is found in more places than Australia. Fiji, New Guinea, and Indonesia are also countires that this bird calls home. Some have even made their way over to New Zealand!

These birds prefer habitats that have a lot of open water. Lakes, reservoirs, lagoons, and rivers are just some of the different bodies of water the Pelicans will live near. But really, any body of water that has enough food to sustain them will do.

Australian Pelicans are large birds, but are medium-size when compared to only other Pelicans. Tehy do, however, have the largest bill in the world-- the longest recorded was 20in long!

The Pelicans use those bills in order collect and store prey. They hunt together, working in groups to drive small fish and aquatic animals to shallower areas. Once that is accomplished they use their bills to snatch up prey. Fish is their primary food source-- but they have been observed killing other waterbirds to. Because they lack sharp claws or a tearing beak, they have to kill them by drowning them.

IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Australia
Size : Wingspan up to 8.5ft (2.6m)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Pelecaniformes
Family : Pelecanidae -- Genus : Pelecanus -- Species : P. conspicillatus
Image :  Quartl

Related Posts:

  • New Zealand GrebePoliocephalus rufopectusThe New Zealand Grebe, or Weweia, is a small, dark waterbird found only on it's namesake islands.These Grebe are wonderful swimmers, and are very well adapted to the water. They have movable webbed toe… Read More
  • Glaucous MacawAnodorhynchus glaucusToday's animal is one of those creatures that is probably extinct... but we don't 100% know for sure. It is the Glaucous Macaw, a tropical Parrot related to both the Hyacinth and Lear's Macaws. It hasn't … Read More
  • Saxual SparrowPasser ammodendriThe Saxual Sparrow, named for a plant whose seeds it often eats, is a relative to the Common House Sparrow. It is found in remote areas of Central Asia, and because of its range it is little studied.Saxual Sp… Read More
  • Esmeraldas WoodstarMeet one of the tiniest Hummingbirds on Earth-- the Esmeraldas Woodstar. These itty bitty birds are only a few centimeters long!These Hummingbirds aren't just small, they are pretty rare too. They are found in only a tiny por… Read More
  • Parasitic JaegerThe Parasitic Jaeger, sometimes refereed to as the Arctic or Parasitic Skua, is a seabird that spends half its time in Northern Europe and Asia, as well as in the high latitudes of North America. They breed during the summert… Read More