I saw this American white pelican’s bill had something that looked like a wart on April 9, 2021 at Santa Fe Dam. I was worried about whether it had cancer. LOL. You can see how ignorant that I am. Later I learned that this yellow plate form (“horn”) shows this American white pelican is in breeding season. The “horn” will be shed after it has mated and laid its eggs.
2021年4月9日在聖達菲大壩 (Santa Fe Dam) 看到這隻美洲白鵜鶘的喙上有一個看起來像贅疣的東西，我還擔心它是不是有癌症，真好笑，由此可見我的無知，後來才知道這是它們在繁殖期的一個特徵，交配及產卵後就會脫落。
On December 6, 2021, I saw a flock of American White Pelicans flying by my house. I guess it might be the time of the year for the northern breeding American White Pelicans to migrate to southern California, the Gulf States, Mexico, and Central America. I did not know if they were trying to wait for some of the pelicans to catch up or not. They did not fly fast so it allowed me to have time to grab my camera to take pictures. I learned that migration occurs mainly during daylight in flocks sometimes numbering in the hundreds, often flying in the familiar V-formation and using thermals when available. On December 1, 2021 I saw a flock of American White Pelicans in a V-formation in Peck Road Park. They looked like those planes having an air show. Unfortunately, we were parking the car and I had no chance to take pictures. I was glad a few days later I got a chance to see them flying by again.
2021年12月6日，我看到一群美國白鵜鶘從我家飛過。我猜想可能是北方繁殖的美國白鵜鶘遷移到南加利福尼亞、海灣國家、墨西哥和中美洲的時候了。我不知道牠們是不是在等一些鵜鶘趕得上來，牠們並沒有飛得很快，所以我有時間去拿相機來拍照。牠們主要在白天遷徙，有時有數群數百隻一起，通常以常見的V字形編隊，如可能的話會利用上升暖氣流飛行。 2021年12月1日，我在佩克路公園看到一群美國白鵜鶘飛行呈V字形。 牠們看起來好像那些正在飛行表演的飛機。但我們正在停車，好可惜沒有來得及拍照。我很高興幾天後我有機會再次見到牠們飛過。
Walking in Peck Road Park on January 20, 2022, seeing the filthy lake made me feel sad. A while ago, it rained heavily in Southern California for a few days. The garbage and oil stains from the wash flowed into the lake. I saw a few American coots, almost the same color as the lake, swimming in the lake. Further in the lake, I saw two American white pelicans appearing even whiter against the dark lake. They were far away from other white pelicans. They looked like they were depending on each other for survival? Or trying to avoid the crowds and have a quiet, close and alone time? Only when we see this scene, then we would have a deeper understanding of the importance of environmental protection and it is everyone’s responsibility.
2022年1月20日在派克路公園散步，看到骯髒的湖水，真是令人痛心。前一陣子南加州下了幾天大雨，不知道從何處的下水道沖來的垃圾、油漬散佈在湖中，看到幾隻美洲骨頂雞(American coot)游在湖中幾乎與湖同色，再往遠處看到兩隻美洲白鵜鶘，在這烏漆墨黑的湖中顯得更加潔白。它們離其他的白鵜鶘遠遠的，一副相依為命的模樣？還是躲開群眾，有個安靜親近獨處的時間？只有在看到這種景象，才能更深體會環保是人人有責及其重要性。
In the bigger lake area in Peck Road Park on January 20, 2022 was a totally different scene. A large group of American white pelicans are like sailboats moored in the harbor. Are they waiting for the downwind to help them sail away to their next destination?
2022年1月20日在派克路公園較大的湖區是完全不同的景象。一大羣的美洲白鵜鶘像是在海港停泊的帆船，牠們是否在等待順風來幫助牠們揚帆航行到下一個目的地？
Most recent photos in 2023. 最近的照片
Notes 筆記
- The German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin described the American white pelican in 1789. The scientific name means “red-billed pelican”.
- The American white pelican has the second largest average wingspan of any North American bird, after the California condor. This large wingspan allows the bird to easily use soaring flight for migration.
- The plumage is almost entirely bright white, except the black primary and secondary remiges, which are hardly visible except in flight.
- The bill is huge and flat on the top, with a large throat sac below, and, in the breeding season, is vivid orange in color as is the iris, the bare skin around the eye, and the feet. In the breeding season, there is a laterally flattened “horn” on the upper bill, located about one-third the bill’s length behind the tip. This is the only one of the eight species of pelican to have a bill “horn”. The horn is shed after the birds have mated and laid their eggs.
- Contrary to cartoon portrayals and common misconceptions, pelicans never carry food in their bill pouches. They use them to scoop up food but swallow their catch before flying off.
- American white pelicans nest in colonies of several hundred pairs on islands in remote brackish and freshwater lakes of inland North America. It is up to 5,000 pairs per site.
- The American white pelican does not dive for its food. Instead it catches its prey while swimming. Each bird eats more than 4 pounds of food a day.
- They forage almost exclusively by day on their wintering grounds, but during breeding season, they commonly forage at night. Even though it’s hard to see, nighttime foraging tends to result in larger fish being caught than during the daytime.
- American white pelicans like to come together in groups of a dozen or more birds to feed, as they can thus cooperate and corral fish to one another. In deep water they prefer to forage alone. But the birds also steal food on occasion from other birds, a practice known as kleptoparasitism.
- American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants are often found together. They sometimes forage together (though they mainly hunt different fish and at different depths). Cormorants even nest individually or in groups within pelican colonies.
- Pelicans are big birds that can overheat when they’re out in the hot sun. They shed heat by facing away from the sun and fluttering their bill pouches—which contain many blood vessels to let body heat escape. Incubating parents may also stretch their wings wide to aid cooling.
- 德國博物學家Johann Friedrich Gmelin於1789年描述了美洲白鵜鶘。學名意為“紅嘴鵜鶘”。
- 美洲白鵜鶘的平均翼展是北美鳥類中僅次於加州兀鷲。 這種大的翼展有助於它們可以輕鬆地飛翔遷徙。
- 羽毛幾乎完全是亮白色。除了在飛行中幾乎看不到黑色主要的和次要的飛羽。
- 喙是巨大的，頂部平坦，下面有一個大的喉囊，在繁殖季節，它是鮮豔的橙色，眼球的虹膜，眼睛周圍的裸露皮膚和腳也是如此。 在繁殖季節，上部的喙上有一個側面變平的“角”，位於喙尖端之後長約三分之一的長度上。 這是八種鵜鶘中唯一有喙“角”的。 交配並產卵後，這個角就脫落了。
- 與卡通形象和常見的誤解相反，鵜鶘從來不會用喙的喉囊攜帶食物，它們用它撈起食物，但在飛行之前就已吞下了它們的捕獲物。
- 美洲白鵜鶘數百對群居在內陸北美偏遠的半鹹水及淡水湖中的島嶼上築巢。每個站點可高達5,000對。
- 美洲白鵜鶘不潛水捕食。相反的，它會在游泳時捕捉獵物。每隻鵜鶘每天要吃超過4磅的食物。
- 在越冬場它們幾乎都是在白天覓食，但是在繁殖季節，它們通常在晚上覓食。 雖然在晚上視線不好，但夜間覓食往往會捕獲比白天更大的魚。
- 美洲白鵜鶘喜歡以十幾隻或更多隻鵜鶘為一組，一起覓食，因為它們可以互相配合，將魚互相圈住。在深水中，它們比較喜歡獨自覓食。但是這些鵜鶘有時也會從其他鳥那裡偷食物，這種做法被稱為“偷竊寄生現象”。
- 美洲白鵜鶘和雙冠鸕鷀經常在一起。它們有時會一起覓食（雖然它們是在不同的深度捕撈不同的魚）。鸕鷀甚至在鵜鶘群落中單獨或成組築巢。
- 鵜鶘是大的鳥，在烈日下可能會過熱。 它們背對著太陽並揮動著喙的喉囊，喙的喉囊中有許多血管，可以讓身體散熱。孵化期的親鳥也可以張開翅膀以幫助散熱。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: American white pelican
- All about birds: American White Pelican
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