AUSTRALIAN PELICANS
G'day folks,
Today, I introduce another of our bird species in Australia. The Australian pelican is a large waterbird of the family
Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia
and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New
Zealand.
The two
Australian Pelicans in the wetlands area of Wild Sea were found in the wild
with injuries and brought to Melbourne Zoo for treatment. They have remained at
the Zoo ever since. Although pelicans are found over large parts of Australia,
for many city-dwellers, the Wild Sea at the Zoo is a rare opportunity to see
these delightful birds.
Australian
Pelicans are not a species presently at risk. However, many individual birds
are at risk from fishing waste: hooks, fishing line and nets abandoned in areas
where these and other marine wildlife live. Your local council or community can
play a big part in protecting marine wildlife by installing Seal the Loop bins
to collect fishing waste and help reduce rates of marine wildlife entanglement.
Australian
Pelicans are found throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and
Indonesia. They will travel great distances to find food and may form large
flocks of hundreds of birds. These flocks will sometimes work together to
capture food, driving fish into shallow water where they can more easily be
caught.
Pelicans have
very wide wingspans: up to 2.6 metres. Their most characteristic feature of
course is their long bill (40–50cm) and throat pouch.
Clancy's comment: I've seen many of these whopping birds whilst fishing on inland waterways, and also at sea. They are an interesting bird to observe. Looking up at them whilst in flight, they have often resembled small planes. And, watching them eat is gob smacking.
I'm ....
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