Pelicans

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Pelicans

"Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week.
But I'm darned if I know how the helican."
Dixon Lanier Merritt
(1879-1972)

Most variations of this 40 million year-old bird fish while swimming, scooping up marine life as they paddle, but the Galapagos Pelicans prefer the dive-bomb, fast-food approach, hitting the water from 20m [60ft] and stunning any fish in the vicinity. These are then scooped, the pouch is emptied of water and the fish swallowed. Thse birds do not store food in their bills.
See the Galapagos map or Galapagos cruises information.

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