Skip to main content
MORE

American White Pelicans, Florida's Other Snowbird

American white pelicans are one of the largest birds in North America with wingspans up to 9.5 feet across. These majestic birds migrate to Florida for winter feeding grounds, before retreating north and west for the breeding season. Floridians may see these snowy white cousins of the year-round resident brown pelican, feeding in shallow water or soaring across the sky in silent flying V’s.

  • Show Notes

    Learn more:

    How You Can Help:

    • Resist the urge to feed Florida's waterbirds. Read more about why, here: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW193 
    • Resist the urge to scare a flock into flight while enjoying Florida's waterways: American White Pelicans are very shy, compared to other water birds. Harassment of their flocks may lead them to abandon a feeding area, increasing their risk of exhaustion or starvation during their migration. So, consider avoiding flocks you may encounter on our beautiful waterways, give them a wide berth. 
    • Encourage your local government to support the protection and restoration of Florida's wetlands and waterways: American white pelicans and other migratory waterbirds in Florida, such as ducks, depend on healthy aquatic ecosystems with ample vegetation, prey items, and good water quality. 

    If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!

    If you're active on iNaturalist, consider joining our iNaturalist project, Naturally Florida's Listener Observations, here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/naturally-florida-s-listener-observations

Episode Transcript:

SHANNON:
In today's episode, we'll be talking about American white pelicans. These are some of North America's largest birds and have wingspans of up to nine and a half feet across. You'll learn all about white pelicans and their resident brown pelican cousins that most Floridians have probably seen around Florida's coastline.

LARA:
Welcome to “Naturally Florida,” a podcast about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here. I’m Lara Milligan.

SHANNON:
And I'm Shannon Carnevale.

LARA:
This podcast is brought to you by UF/IFAS Extension in Polk and Pinellas Counties.

LARA:
Growing up in southeast Florida, all I ever knew that we had were brown pelicans. That's like all I ever saw. And it wasn't until I was in your neck of the woods at Circle B, and I looked out on the lake—which was also foreign to me—and I saw what looked like a pelican, but not anything like the brown pelican that I knew. It was this massive white bird.

SHANNON:
Yes.

LARA:
(LAUGHS) It was just so weird for me to see! Like I always associated brown pelicans with being, like, coastal and on the ocean. I'm like, this thing is in a lake, and I've never seen this before. What is this? So we are going to explore all about really both pelican species that we have here in Florida—and really the only two species that we have in North America— which is the white pelican and kind of contrasting a little bit with our brown pelican which is much more common to see.

And we'll tell you why in just a second. But Shannon, can you just describe what this massive white bird really looks like in a little bit more detail?

SHANNON:
Sure. And to be clear, we're talking about the American white pelican. There is also a great white pelican, but it's not in North America. So the American white pelican and when we're talking about is a very large snowy white pelican. You're familiar with the pelican shape—they’re the same shape. They do have black wingtips that are especially visible when they're flying up in the sky.

They've got orangey-yellow bills, legs and feet and their pelican pouch, which is a little bit more reserved or hidden than brown pelicans. And in the spring, before they migrate back up north—which we'll talk about later—they may develop a little bit of a light yellow flush of color on their chest, so almost like they leaned over in a little bit of yellow water colors on their white feathers.

LARA:
Okay. Yes, Shannon, and you mentioned that they have black on their wingtips and this is like mind-blowing, cool, nerd-out, fun fact. (LAUGHS) So, right, melanin is what is associated with different pigmentation and especially with black. And there's an association with melanin and something called “keratin,” which you guys might be familiar with like our hair and our fingernails, which is just like a very fibrous protein actually.

So basically with that association, the darker the pigmentation, it gives the feathers more strength and integrity. And that's why you'll often see this in a lot of birds’ white feather. So the ibis has similar coloration. The flamingo (LAUGHS)—just because a lot of people are familiar with flamingos. The wood stork. So anytime you see these massive birds in flight, you'll see that dark kind of black flight feathers, and that's because they're stronger. And flight feathers need to be strong.

So that's your fun fact of today.

SHANNON:
Wow!

LARA:
I know, I know. Mind blown. (LAUGHS)

SHANNON:
How did I never know that, Lara?

LARA:
You know, it's just we all learn every day, right?

SHANNON:
Yeah. The whooping crane has that, too.

LARA:
I know. It's like the more I thought about it, I'm like, “Oh, my gosh, there's so many birds!” And I can't take full credit for that. I had to ask my colleague who just knows everything, and he's like, “Of course I know the answer to that.” And then I research it, and I was like, “Oh, there's a whole book about bird feathers,” which we'll link in our show notes if you want to nerd out even more.

SHANNON:
Okay. Amazing!

LARA:
(LAUGHS) Yes. So back to Shannon. So Shannon was describing what the white pelican looks like and just in contrast, the brown pelican looks very different as the name implies. It can vary in color, but as juveniles, they are very brown. And then they kind of turn a little bit more gray as they mature. But there's really no way to confuse the two.

There's white pelican, very white. Brown pelican, very brown to gray and their heads are white. Sometimes it's a little bit of yellow, and that can even vary, especially during breeding season. But they're slightly smaller in size. But that's not really something like you could just tell by looking at them. But there's a lot of other differences between these two species.

They're in the same genus, but there's lots of differences. And so we're going to dive into some differences in the way that they eat, which I think is pretty, pretty interesting. So I know, Shannon, you can probably relate—like brown pelicans anytime we saw them in South Florida, it was like you just wait for them to dive bomb into the ocean.

And it was like the cool thing. We're like, "Oh, that's where the fish are!”. That's why fishermen were always like, “Where's the pelicans?” But not so much the case with the white pelicans.

SHANNON:
Right. Right. And so the American white pelican is more similar to a duck in many ways in how it feeds. So it's called the “dabbling” method. And so they're similar to dabbling ducks, which just means they kind of upend themselves and their little, little booties will be up in the air as they reach underwater to get their fish and invertebrates.

So whereas a duck would be going underwater to eat algae and plants and snails and things, the American white pelicans are going under for small fish like minnows. And they even eat crawfish or crawdads if they can get them. But the other cool thing about how American white pelicans eat is that they're cooperative—they work in teams.

So brown pelicans, you know, you see them in long vees or long lines flying across the water, and then they might dive in succession. But ultimately they're feeding solo.

White pelicans work together, and they will corral the fish using their wing flaps and by dabbling their head down. And they'll corral all those fish in the shallower areas of wetlands and freshwater lakes and in coastal areas. Then once they've got them all near the edge, they take turns dabbling down and scooping up their little group of fish that they're going to eat.

So you're more likely to see groups of white pelicans feeding together. Could be five or six; it could be as many as several hundred. It just depends on the exact flock you're looking at.

LARA:
Yeah. Yeah, that's so interesting. I mean, just the way that the pelican beaks are designed—for both the white and the brown pelican—is like, you know, they collect just like everything in there and they push the water out. And, you know, I've seen with lots of wading birds just watching them swallow it whole. It’s like “How do they do that?” (LAUGHTER)

But yes, it's definitely very, very different. It's really cool. If you guys ever get to see the white pelicans feeding, they’re just fascinating to see, especially in a large group like that.

SHANNON:
And another interesting part of their feeding strategy is they're almost entirely silent So when you think of shorebirds, most people think of like seagulls, right? They're not quiet at all. (LAUGHTER) You can hear them coming, like they're super loud. But I've been in my backyard on the lake and be completely taken by surprise by a flock of white pelicans—you know, 20, 30, 40 feet away—because you don't hear them coming.

If it's a really large flock, though, they do have other species will follow them around locally. We call them “groupies.” (LAUGHTER) But they'll follow the white pelicans around to like essentially pick up all the leftover fish that they didn't get. And those groups are very, very loud. So they might be anhingas, double-crested cormorants, lots of herons, ospreys. This is a great time to see bald eagles. I mean every water bird you can imagine will follow a large flock of white pelicans around in the lake. And this is really cool to watch, like you were saying.

LARA:
Smart. Yeah. I'd be curious like what the conversation is of our native species when they're like, “Oh, the white pelicans are here! Score! We can like just, you know, snag the leftovers. And time to be a groupie!”

SHANNON:
I imagine it's got to be a lot like the seagulls in “Finding Nemo” yelling “Mine, mine, mine!”

LARA:
(LAUGHS) I love it. I love “Finding Nemo,” too. Yeah. And I actually, I kind of just alluded to the next point I wanted to talk about, which is that the white pelicans are not here year round. I was saying, like, they're waiting for the white pelicans to get here, which is very different from our brown pelicans that are here year round.

So where are they coming from?

SHANNON:
In general, most white pelicans will breed in western and central Canada, as well as some of our Western states and a small part of northern California. There is also resident pelican breeding populations in southern Texas and in small parts of Mexico. Those particular populations do not migrate. They just stay where they're at.

But the northern white pelican breeding populations will migrate south to southern California, the Gulf states, including Florida, Mexico and other parts of Central America in the winter time for those feeding grounds. So when they migrate back north, that's when they're looking for nesting sites, going through courtship and breeding.

LARA:
Yeah. And speaking of breeding, it's another difference between the white pelican and the brown pelican. Just the way that they approach it, where they nest is all very, very different. I was recently on a little eco tour out on a boat, and we went to a roost site where there were lots of brown pelicans—which smelled very bad—(LAUGHS) but it was just really interesting to see and learn about how the brown pelicans nest.

They're kind of more platform nesters. And I was very shocked to learn a little bit about how the white pelicans nest.

SHANNON:
Yeah, it's pretty different from brown pelicans. So like you mentioned, brown pelicans generally will nest in trees, but they can make ground nests as well. It really depends on the habitat locally available to them. But white pelicans, when they're breeding they'll be looking for relatively flat, bare soil. So it could be sand or gravel, other types of soil, occasionally near a tidal area.

But generally speaking, what they're going to do is the male and female together will just use their bills to rake up a little bowl and make a nest out of that, for lack of a better term, dirt. So if you can imagine playing at the Florida beaches and you scoop up a shallow bowl-shaped depression in the sand, make it about two feet wide with a little lip that's, you know, six to eight inches high. You can picture that—that’s basically what a white pelican nest looks like.

It's very bare bones and they don't bring anything to it. So the brown pelicans here in Florida, when they nest—even on the ground—it’s a very vegetated area and they'll use sticks and seaweed and grasses to build a nest more like any other bird's nest you might think of. But the white pelican, it's just the sand or soil that they found at their nesting site.

LARA:
Very, very interesting. I'm always fascinated to learn about ground nesting birds, and just I think that's really cool just the way that they've adapted to survive nesting literally right on the ground.

SHANNON:
Right. And it's so different than our last episode about birds where we talked about cavity nesters.

LARA:
Yes. Yeah, very different. We, you know, in that episode talk about all the different types of nesters. So they all have their own reasons for why and where they nest. Okay. Yeah. And one other cool thing as it relates to breeding for both of these species, I mentioned before with the brown pelican that they can be quite variable in color, especially during breeding season.

So with the brown pelicans, they tend to get a little like tinge of yellow on their head and then along like their face and down their neck, it tends to get darker in color. So I think probably the main thing you can look for is the yellowish coloration on their head in the brown pelicans. And there's similar things in the white pelican, but also something else
super cool.

SHANNON:
Yes, the white pelicans. So I mentioned earlier they can get a light yellow wash on their chest feathers, but their bill and their pouch will get really, really bright orange. And this starts to happen while they're still in Florida. And then the super cool part is that both the male and the female during breeding season develop what's known as a “breeding horn” on their bill.

So on the top of their bill, they'll be this little—it almost looks like a fin—sticking up in the air, and it can be several inches large by the time they leave Florida to go back for breeding season. But when you're observing these amazing birds in Florida, especially near the end of their stay, so March, April, maybe even into May, you might start to see these growths on the top of their bill.

And I'll get calls about it all the time. Lara, I don't know if you get calls. People are very concerned about their bill. They think it might be cancer or some kind of injury or we need to go rescue these birds. But really it's just a very interesting something that happens because of breeding. And from what I can tell, researchers don't really know the function of the bill horn.

There's some speculation that the color or size of it may indicate a better breeding partner, just like bolder, brighter colors may indicate that they have a healthier system and might be better breeders for that reason. But we don't really know.

LARA:
As Shannon mentioned, it's not a call for concern. (LAUGHS)

SHANNON:
Yeah. Don’t worry.

LARA:
Nothing wrong with the bird. But yeah, that's really, really interesting and something that you guys can look for, as Shannon mentioned, kind of when they're getting ready to head back north and start their breeding.

SHANNON:
Yeah.

LARA:
So one thing we've mentioned is the white pelicans aren't here year round. So let's talk a little bit about maybe where people could go see these white pelicans in Florida.

SHANNON:
I think when we're talking about a migratory species, it's hard to pin down exactly where they're going to go year after year. There's some repetition there, like if you are in an area where, you know, you have white pelicans every year. Like you mentioned, Lara, Circle B—almost always white pelicans. But that's going to be a local thing.

In terms of what to look for, though, I think it might be worth talking about what type of habitats they look for. With the American white pelican when they are coming down to Florida, you think about their fishing habits. They look for shallow water so they can corral fish. So, Lara, near you, where might you find shallow water?

LARA:
Yeah. So we often see…we have tons of parks like right along our coastlines. And as you know, on the Gulf side of the state, our coastline is quite, quite extensive. So pretty much anywhere along the coast over here is you have a high chance of seeing white pelicans during migration.

SHANNON:
Yeah. And near me in central Florida and other parts of inland Florida, what you would be looking for are lakes that have a shallow shoreline, so something that they can corral the fish up into. Large wetland systems—either natural or manmade. Wetland water treatment areas are popular areas to find these birds. And then really, really large stormwater ponds or natural lakes.

So any of those types of areas are where you're likely to find them.

LARA:
Yeah. And I would say too, like obviously if you see a giant white bird in the water, that's probably going to catch your attention. But I would say too a lot of times when people ask me, like, about they're describing this bird they saw way up in the sky—you know, this is, again, kind of large white though you can see the black flight feathers, that we mentioned at the beginning—and even in flight, because these are such big birds
you can see the orange of their bill.
But I would encourage you, if something catches your eye in the sky, look up because it might be a massive flock of these white pelicans, which is just super awesome to watch. I'd say probably the only other bird you might confuse it with is a wood stork in terms of because the coloration is very similar. But the wood stork, they have very long feet. And you actually see their feet like extending out past their tail. So pelicans, not so much the case. (LAUGHS)

We always like to wrap up with some calls to action in our podcast episodes. And with pelicans, there's a couple of things that we wanted to mention. First, this is more so with the brown pelicans because, as Shannon mentioned, white pelicans tend to be more shy. But we really want to encourage you not to feed pelicans.

SHANNON:
So one reason we don't want to feed them is…Lara, what do people feed birds most of the time?

LARA:
Bread. Of course, Shannon. Bread.

SHANNON:
Right. And if you're at a beach cafe, maybe French fries. Although I must say beach cafe French fries are, you know, one of the best foods on the planet in my opinion. (LAUGHTER) I don't know why you would be giving them to birds. But they feed them bread and French fries. And I can honestly say as a child, I did the same thing, but now I know better.

LARA:
Oh, for sure. Yeah, exactly.

SHANNON:
It's not healthy, like Lara said, but also it creates unnatural groups of birds. There's too many birds and too small of an area fighting over the same unhealthy food. So it is a way that diseases can spread between the birds.

LARA:
Yeah, all around not good for their diet, for their immune system, for all the things. So on the kind of bigger picture, Shannon and I always like to talk at the ecosystem level. And Shannon alluded to the habitats that they prefer and that they like. And so one thing that you guys can do, whether it's in your own backyard or, you know, working with your city, is really to encourage the restoration or protection of your natural areas, especially ones that have water like wetlands—any coastal ecosystem that you have.


So like we're doing a big living shoreline effort in our county right now. And so that’s going to enhance habitat, which is going to attract prey items that would help to feed these white pelicans that have just journeyed like thousands of miles to get here. And they need to refuel in preparation for the next breeding season. So anything we can do to encourage and enhance our local wetland ecosystems is going to be beneficial.

SHANNON:
Yeah, and that goes for the inland lakes, too—so restoration of aquatic plants, protection of shorelines. So large public shorelines, making sure that, you know, there aren't too many invasive species there, but natural plant communities are enhanced, all of those things. Like Lara mentioned, it's about the entire ecosystem. You know, it's a system. Like the Home Edit Girls say, “It's a system.”

LARA:
(LAUGHS) And everything's connected to everything else.

SHANNON:
For sure. And then our last call to action really centers around people who recreate on our lakes. So if you like tubing or jet skiing or birding even, you like to go fishing, waterskiing—whatever, your water activity of choice is—when you see a big flock of white pelicans try to observe them from a distance, a respectful distance because remember how easily they are disturbed by people.

So we want to avoid, for instance—oh, I don't know Lara—turning your boat directly towards a large flock and driving it through them. Unfortunately, I have seen that many times. And it's so that the kids can see them all fly away. And it's exciting—I’ll admit it. It's beautiful to see them all take fight, but these are very heavy birds and it takes a lot of effort and energy for them to take flight like that when they're scared. And so then they have to feed even more.

Additionally, too much disturbance, and they're known to completely abandon an area. This is true of their breeding locations as well as their feeding locations. So if they're too disturbed by too many people, they won't come back.

So that's our last one. And I think it's the easiest of the three is just look at how pretty they are from afar. Use some binoculars. Observe them. They're really cool. But let's try not to drive a boat through the flock.

LARA:
Yeah, I think that's a good, easy one to kind of wrap up on for the call to action. And I hope that you guys learned a little something about our two native pelican species that we have here in the state. And please, if you guys see a white pelican, get out your phone. If you have iNaturalist report the sighting, and help us to build that database and just get excited.

I think it's super awesome anytime you get to see a migratory bird, especially one as big and beautiful as the white pelican.

SHANNON:
Thanks for listening to “Naturally Florida,” a podcast about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here. Stay updated on new episodes by subscribing on your favorite podcast platform. If you enjoyed today's episode, consider sharing it with a friend. “Naturally Florida” is produced by your hosts Shannon Carnevale

LARA:
And Lara Milligan.

SHANNON:
If you have questions or suggestions, submit them online at naturallyfloridapodcast.com. This podcast is brought to you by the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, an Equal Opportunity Institution. Thank you for listening.

Return to main podcast website