The pelican is a genus of large water birds known for its massive bill and distinctive throat pouch, commonly found along coasts and large inland waterways globally. These birds are among the heaviest flying species. Their unique anatomical features often raise questions regarding their feeding habits and precise dietary classification. Examining the pelican’s natural history provides a clear answer regarding what this aquatic bird consumes to sustain its substantial size.
Defining the Pelican’s Place in the Food Chain
The pelican is definitively classified as a carnivore, meaning its diet is composed almost exclusively of animal tissue. This classification places it firmly within the predator category in its aquatic ecosystem. The pelican’s anatomy, from its specialized bill to its digestive system, is adapted to process a high-protein diet derived from captured prey.
Pelicans consume a large quantity of food daily, needing up to four pounds of sustenance to meet metabolic demands. Their digestive makeup lacks the enzymes necessary to efficiently break down significant amounts of plant matter or carbohydrates, confirming their reliance on a meat-based diet. While some species exhibit opportunistic scavenging behavior, the primary mode of acquiring nutrition remains active predation on live animals.
The Pelican’s Primary Diet
Fish form the overwhelming majority of the pelican’s diet, often accounting for 90 to 95 percent of its total food intake. Pelicans typically target smaller, slow-moving fish species that are commercially less desirable to human fisheries, sometimes referred to as “rough” or “non-game” fish. Common prey items include schooling fish like anchovies, sardines, menhaden, herring, and various types of mullet.
The size of preferred fish varies between the eight pelican species. For example, the Pink-backed Pelican takes prey up to 400 grams, while the larger Great White Pelican can handle fish weighing over 1,800 grams. Pelicans are also highly opportunistic feeders, supplementing their fish diet with other small vertebrates and invertebrates when available. This secondary consumption can include amphibians, crustaceans such as crayfish and shrimp, and even small turtles.
In rare instances, and often driven by scarcity, pelicans have been documented preying on other birds, including ducklings, gulls, and the chicks of other seabirds. The Australian Pelican is known for its wide-ranging palate, occasionally consuming carrion. This flexibility ensures survival but does not change the fact that the vast caloric requirement is met almost entirely by aquatic animal protein.
Unique Hunting Methods
Pelicans employ specialized hunting techniques that leverage their unique anatomical features and social structures. The long bill features a massive, elastic gular pouch, which functions as a flexible net to scoop up prey and water. This pouch is not used for long-term food storage but rather as a temporary holding vessel from which water is drained before the catch is swallowed whole.
Feeding behaviors differ significantly across species, often categorized by their method of capture. The Brown Pelican and Peruvian Pelican are the only species that regularly practice plunge-diving, dropping head-first from heights of up to 60 feet to stun and capture fish near the water’s surface. This high-impact method is visually distinct and allows them to hunt individually.
Other species, such as the American White Pelican, rely on cooperative surface-skimming and dipping. These birds often form semicircles or lines, working together to herd schools of fish into shallow water where they can be easily scooped up. By coordinating their movements, they drive the prey toward each other for a collective and efficient capture.