Jaltemba Features

Some Great Photographs from Diana Belitski

            Incoming!

Pacific Ocean Brown Pelicans

                   Tara Spears

     First in a series of four seabird articles

One of the first things a visitor to the Pacific Ocean notices after the dazzling water color is the seabirds.  Whether flying in dense formation or bobbing in flocks on the water, the chunky pelican is distinctive.  The Riviera Nayarit is home to many permanent resident species of seabirds besides being in the migratory flyway for dozens of other types of migratory birds.  One doesn’t need to be a serious bird watcher to enjoy the antics of these amazing creatures.

As a group, seabirds almost always have webbed feet that aid their movement on the water’s surface as well as aid diving for dinner. This is an example of adaptation to living and feeding in the sea. All seabirds have evolved physiologically and behaviorally due to their ocean diet. Many seabirds feed on the ocean’s surface, as the marine currents often concentrate food such as krill, fish, squid or other prey items within reach of a dipped head.  The plumage of most seabirds is less colorful than that of land birds, being restricted to variations of black, grey, or white. Another survival adaptation is to live in colonial groups, so seeing a solitary pelican is usually an indication of illness or injury.

Pelicans are easily identified by their large bills and stretchable pouches. The pouch is used to capture fish, which the pelican usually swallows immediately. Although the brown pelicans are the smallest of the pelican species, they are still large seabirds and can weigh up to eight pounds (almost 3 kilos), with a huge wingspan of over 6 feet (2 meters)! Males are usually larger and heavier than females. Adults are gray to brown with white and yellowish heads. Sexual maturity is reached after three to five years. In the wild, brown pelicans may live 15 to 25 years.  The sexes look similar, though males are slightly larger, with short, dark legs, long, broad wings, a large, heavy all-brown body, white neck, pale yellow face, and a huge bill that is paler at the base and tipped with yellow. The pelican picture at the beginning is a sexually active adult, while the picture to the right of this paragraph is an immature bird, but both are the same species of brown pelican.

 The pelicans primarily eat fish of little value to humans, as well as salamanders, shrimp, and crayfish. During breeding season, the birds often forage at night, locating fish by touch. While small fish are the major part of their diet, they can eat surprisingly large ones. Brown pelicans also eat some invertebrates, such as squid. They are a familiar sight around fishing ports within their range, where they roost on piers, docks, and fishing boats, ready to catch fish scraps. White Pelicans are notable for their habit of cooperative foraging—coordinated flocks of swimming birds encircle fish or drive them into the shallows where they become concentrated and are more easily caught. Brown Pelicans are highly social year-round and breed in colonies of up to several thousand pairs. While some American White Pelican populations in Texas and Mexico are permanent residents, most are migratory, moving in daytime flocks.

Local island sanctuary: Isla Peña

 We are very fortunate to have a beautiful little island in Jaltemba Bay that is a breeding spot for several species of seabirds, including the brown pelican. Pelicans nest in colonies for safety. Both sexes build the nest which is a scrap or debris mound on the ground, or a stick nest in a tree. Nesting on islands is preferred. Pelicans usually lay two or three eggs. Both parents care for the naked, helpless chicks. They feed their chicks by regurgitating a kind of “fish soup” until the chicks are two weeks old. During breeding season, pelican colonies are sensitive to disturbance by tourists and fisherman. Adult birds can be frightened off their nests, and newly hatched chicks can die quickly in the blazing sun. Their skittishness is understandable: For centuries, many fishermen have considered the birds as competitors for fish, and in the past, the fishermen often raided pelican colonies to kill the birds.                   

Pelican Myths:

The indigenous peoples of Mexico revered many birds as ancient gods, and pelican feathers have appeared in many carvings and ritual garments. Additionally, because of an early Western Christian myth that the birds split open their breasts to feed their starving chicks, pelicans have long been a symbol of mercy and altruism.

Contact Tara: tara.sprs@yahoo.com