American White Pelican

Description: 50-70" A huge white bird with a long flat bill and black wing-tips, (breeding) has short yellowish crest on back of head and horny plate on upper mandible, young birds duskier than adults	Habitat: Lakes, ponds, and coastal waters in winter. Breeds on isolated islands in lakes of inland North America. Usually found in flocks. Individuals reported from almost every state.
Nesting: 1 to 6 whitish eggs on a low mound of earth and debris on a marshy island	Range: breeds from British Columbia south to California and along Texas Gulf coast, winters from central California to Florida, and Panama
Voice: usually silent, but grunts or croaks on nest site	Diet: Mostly fish, occasionally salamanders, crayfish. Young fed regurgitant, later fed fish. Swims at surface and submerges head to catch fish; consumes about 3 pounds per day. Occasionally fish cooperatively.

Notes: The only non-white pelican in the world, White Pelicans, unlike Brown Pelicans, do not dive for food. They dip their bills into water while swimming, will gather in groups for cooperative fishing, second chick in brood usually dies from starvation due to harassment by its older sibling.

When present in Oklahoma: seen mostly during migration and a few winter in the state. Group of 52,000 stopped at Great Salt Plains NWR during late September, 2000.