This week on Discover Nature, watch for American white pelicans flying south for the winter.
The white pelican is a large waterbird – often growing to more than five feet long, with a wingspan of up to nine feet.
White pelicans migrate through Missouri in spring and fall between their summer breeding grounds in the northwest, and their winter territories to the south. Many more of them migrate through western Missouri than the eastern half of the state.
During migration, white pelicans fly in formation, high in the air. They descend to hunt in shallow waters, dipping their heads under the surface to scoop up fish, crawfish, tadpoles, and other aquatic animals. Groups of pelicans sometimes hunt cooperatively, herding fish into a concentrated pack.
As predators, pelicans help to control populations of aquatic species, though they rarely compete with humans for game fish.
Learn more about these migratory birds, and find public lands near you to watch them in the wild with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) online field guide.
Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
