A flock of Great White Pelicans resting on the edge of Lake Manyara, Tanzania.
“A wonderful bird is the pelican...”
If you’ve ever seen the Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) in action, you know that old limerick* rings true. These hefty, majestic birds are famous for their most distinctive feature: the gular pouch.
Suspended beneath their long bill like a flexible hammock, this pouch is a biological marvel. It’s highly expandable and serves as a highly efficient scoop for catching fish in the shallows.
I recently came across this particular flock basking in the sun along the shores of Lake Manyara, Tanzania. It’s a stunning sight to see them gathered in the shimmering water, preening and preparing for their next hunt.
Did You Know?
For the curious minds out there, the pelican's pouch is even more impressive than it looks. It can hold up to three gallons of water—which, for the sake of the ol’ limerick—is about three times more than its “belly” can hold!
*This limerick, a mix of biological fact and literary exaggeration, has been credited to many, but claimed by none. One possibility is that it came from a Tennessee newspaperman by the name of Dixon Lanier Merritt. It appeared in the Nashville Banner on April 22, 1913, but Merritt refused to claim it.