HUNGRY PELICAN OPENS BILL LIKE A BASKETBALL NET AND SLAM DUNKS CATFISH

It was so easy.  And American photographer John Dykstra was there to capture the moment on Lake Marsh in Minnesota.

 

Marsh Lake is home to the largest white pelican rookery in North America and is protected by the federal wildlife organisation.

 

Many pelicans fish by swimming in cooperative groups.   They may form a line or a 'U' shape and drive fish into shallow water by beating their wings on the surface.  When fish congregate in the shallows, the pelicans simply scoop them up.

 

The brown pelican, on the other hand, dives on fish from above and snares them in its bill.

 

Pelicans do not store fish in their pouch, but simply use it to catch them and then tip it back to drain out water and swallow the fish immediately.

 

The American white pelican can hold some three gallons of water in its bill.

 

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

 

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.

 

In North America, the brown pelican is endangered, but populations are recovering to some extent.

 

Read more and see pictures - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2518645/Hungry-pelican-opens-like-basketball-net-SLAM-DUNKS-catfish.html

 

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