White pelicans flock to Bradenton’s mild waters

The American white pelican doesn’t put on a show like its cousin, the brown pelican, but they are surely a sight to see.

Stark white with yellowy feet and beak, the tips of their 9-foot wingspan are as if they’ve been dipped in black ink. While they’ve got the same throat pouch as their cousins, white pelicans are much larger, hunt differently for prey and don’t stick around throughout the year.

“They don’t dive. They kind of hunt in packs,” said Steve Black, a Manatee County Audubon board member.

You’re probably used to seeing brown pelicans take off from the shore, reach a certain altitude and hightail it for the water’s surface, beak first. Or, you’ve missed it and just catch the splash out of the corner of your eye.

White pelicans, on the other hand, float on top of the water, “follow(ing) the fish with their shadows,” Black said. It’s often a team effort, as the birds coordinate and drive the fish from one place to another. When the time is right, they’ll dip their beaks and scoop up their prize. Sometimes, they’ll even steal a meal from a fellow bird.

They breed as far north as Alberta down to parts of Nevada and Utah, sticking to freshwater. Each winter, most migrate in flocks to Mexico, Texas all the way to Florida’s coasts.

During the Audubon Christmas Count last month, birders saw hundreds and hundreds of white pelicans spread throughout Terra Ceia, Palma Sola Bay, Robinson Preserve and Cortez. If they’re not near the water, you can see them in the sky flying in a V-formation.

As sure as the tides, the white pelican will head back to its nesting perches in late winter or early spring.

This story was originally published January 6, 2018 at 5:35 PM with the headline "White pelicans flock to Bradenton’s mild waters."