Pelican

Type:  Bird
Diet: Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:

10 to 25 years or more

Size:

Body, 5.8 ft (1.8 m); wingspan, 10 ft (3 m)

Weight:

30 lbs (13 kg)

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

There are more than half a dozen species of pelicans, but all of them have the famous throat pouch for which the birds are best known.Pelicans are found on many of the world's coastlines and also along lakes and rivers. They are social birds and typically travel in flocks, often strung out in a line. They also breed in groups called colonies, which typically gather on islands.Unlike most birds, which warm their eggs with the skin of their breasts, pelicans incubate their eggs with their feet. They hold the eggs under the webs that stretch from the front toes to the hind toe, essentially standing on the eggs to warm them.

Young pelicans feed by sticking their bills into their parents' throats to retrieve food.

The American white pelican can hold some 3 gallons (11 1/2 liters) of water in its bill. 

Pelican bills are actually able to sense creatures underwater, which is handy if the water is murky and the birds can’t see. Most pelicans will fish in groups. They beat the water with their wings to drive fish into the shallows and then scoop them up with their bills. A hook on their upper mandibles helps them grip slippery food – and sometimes even allows them to nab a large fish, toss it into the air, and swallow it in one gulp!

Information collected from : 

animals.nationalgeographic.co.in

environmentalgraffiti.com