One of the largest birds in North America is also one of the most recognizable. Whether in the air,  perched, or floating, this bird definitely stands out from others. The large pouched bill and the incredible wingspan easily give it away. This majestic waterfowl lives in estuaries, ponds, rivers and lakes all over. Pelicans are mostly considered migratory but there are times when they find a place to stay year round.

A pelican's bill is probably the most identifiable of all its appendages. The bill is long and connected to the lower bill is a skin pouch. This pouch can hold up to three gallons of water. The pelican puts its head and beak beneath the surface of the water and fills the pouch with the hopes of catching fish. When it comes to the surface it allows the water to drain out and swallows the fish. Pelicans don’t just eat fish though. They also eat insects, small mammals and other birds. When pelicans are fishing (which is their favorite food) they usually work in large groups. These groups have been called many names like pod, scoop, squadron or raft to name a few. When working together to fish the raft will swim in a u-shape using their paddle-like webbed feet to herd the fish into an easy to catch area along the shore. The American White pelican seems to be better at working together to fish than other pelican types. It's a good thing too, because they eat about 4 pounds of food a day.

Even though these birds weigh up to 19 pounds they are  very graceful flyers. You wouldn’t think so if you watch one walking or during take-off. Pelicans are awfully clumsy until it launches into the air. Once the pelican is airborne it is quite a site. Pelicans will migrate in groups of up to 100 birds. They are mostly silent and people often mistake them for geese at first sight because of the V formation they fly in.

The American White pelican is distinctly marked. They have extremely white bodies except for their wing tips and flight feathers that are black. They have pinkish orange bills and yellow throat patches except during breeding season. During breeding season their bills turn bright yellow and their throat patch becomes very orange. Another characteristic of the white pelican is the horn that grows on the top beak during mating season.

Pelicans mate for one year and after a courtship start building a nest on the ground. They brush away soil to make a depression then fill it with twigs, reeds and grasses. The nest is usually about two feet across. The female will lay up to three eggs, but usually only one baby will survive. White pelican babies hatch from their eggs after about a month. As the hatchling emerges from its egg it is already about the size of a full grown dove. By three months old they are about the size of their parents, well on their way to having a wingspan of 100 inches.