Pelicans……..in India and elsewhere
Pelicanus spp.
It was in high school or the first year of undergraduate studies, that I first came across ‘Pelicans ‘in my Biology class. They are large water birds which are characterized by a very long beak, the lower mandible of which is modified into a large throat pouch. This is used for catching prey and draining the water from the scooped-up contents before swallowing.
When I studied about the Pelicans, I used to wonder if I would ever be fortunate enough to see one! I’m talking about the time when there were no laptops, mobiles, wi-fi, Internet or Google! Television sets were just making their advent in India! In effect, whatever information we had about anything was only from the written or printed word. Difficult to imagine in the present-day scenario, isn’t it?
It was about five years ago that I had my first glimpse of Pelicans, almost thirty-five years after I first read about them! We had visited the Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary in Gujarat where we saw Flamingos, Eurasian Spoonbills, Open-billed storks, Painted Storks, Ruddy Shelducks and plenty of other species of water birds. Then our boatman-cum-guide told us about Pelicans being sighted at a place called Vadla which was about 28-30 km away. He was game to accompany us to Vadla in our car.
I was very excited on the drive to Vadla. It was then, that I finally had my first glimpse of the Great White Pelicans. There are eight living pelican species. The Great White Pelicans are winter visitors to our country. We saw quite a large flock on that lake. Their distinguishing characteristics are pinkish legs and feet, orbital skin (skin around the eyes) is extensive and contiguous with bill and a short, drooping crest. It's pouch is yellow or orange-yellow which becomes very bright during the breeding season. They generally roost in flocks on open sandbanks of large lakes, lagoons, and tidal creeks.
This year in February, we visited the Thol lake sanctuary in Mehsana district of Gujarat. There we saw a mixed group of the Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans. These too are winter visitors to our land. The Dalmatian Pelicans have dark grey legs and feet, broader forehead feathering, restricted orbital skin, and a tufted crest. The bill is darker than the pouch which becomes a bright orange or red during the breeding season. These are found in pairs or small flocks, unlike the Great White which are found in large congregations.
During a short holiday to the United States, I had the opportunity to visit the Malibu Lagoon in the Santa Monica area of California. It is a beautiful lagoon on the Pacific coast, frequented by a large number of water birds. There were huge flocks of gulls, Caspian terns, cormorants, and we were fortunate to see a large flock of Brown Pelicans. I used the word ‘fortunate’ as this species doesn’t visit India!
The Spot-billed Pelicans are residents of India, but I haven’t had the opportunity of seeing them yet!
There was a time when I wondered if I would ever be able to see a Pelican…….I feel so blessed to have been able to see so many wonderful species of this great bird!!
Please click here for my repertoire of the grandiose Pelicans