American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) Pelecanidae
Yellowstone River, Saugus, MT
13 May 1975
prep. Larry DePute; photo. Robert Niese
Unlike their brown counterparts, the American White Pelican is an overland migrant, spending its winters in the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico before flying thousands of miles to breeding grounds in Canada and the northern United States. To facilitate this epic travel, these birds have an 8-10 foot wing span, the second-largest of any bird in North America. Now that we have fully articulated this massive specimen, we’re not entirely sure what to do with it… He can hardly fit through doorways!
Northwest Naturalist 