Backyard Buddies: We Peli-can Make our Backyards Safe

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01 Oct 2011

They’re Australia’s biggest flying bird, but have you noticed the pelicans around your place at the moment? Now that it’s October, Pelicans in southern Australia are listening to their biological clocks. They’ll be looking for a mate and starting a family very soon after rains. You can be a buddy to clucky pelicans.

Backyard Buddies is a free program run by Australia’s Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife. Each month, you get a Backyard Buddies email (B-mail) with tips to make your backyard inviting and safe for native animals. Pelicans featured in October B-mail. Sign up for B-mail and download a free factsheet about pelicans at www.backyardbuddies.net.au.

“The Australian Pelican is an amazing creature,” said Mr Steve Corbett, CEO of the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife. “It has the longest bill of any bird in the world and can fly up to 3,000 metres above sea level by hitching a ride on thermal currents of warm air.”

“Look out for clucky pelicans around your suburb. Pelicans develop special colouring on their bills and bill pouches when they’re ready to mate. The front two-thirds of the pouch turn scarlet, the rear third turns pink, and a dark line appears on either side.”

“How can you tell which pelicans already have partners? Easy. Their courtship colours fade and the dark line on their bills becomes red. A bit like a wedding band,” said Mr Corbett.

“When a female pelican is ready to find a partner, she starts some strenuous exercise—either a long distance swim, walk or flight. Several males follow her, but eventually drop off as they run out of steam. The last male following will be her mate, and she leads him to a good nest site.”

“Pelicans lay two to four pure white eggs in a scrape or basic nest on the ground. Usually only one chick survives because of competition amongst each other in the first few weeks. Pelicans breed in colonies of up to 40,000 birds on islands or secluded shores,” Mr Corbett said.

“It’s a pretty odd sight to see an adult pelican feeding its young. The adult regurgitates partially digested food such as fish, crustaceans, tadpoles and so on from its stomach and the baby sticks its beak a long way down its parent’s throat to eat.”

“After the parent thinks enough is enough and pulls away, the baby pelican throws a tantrum. It convulses violently, biting anything nearby and collapses on the ground, which can sometimes result in the pelican falling unconscious. This behaviour lasts for about a minute and is thought to be an exaggerated form of begging.”

“There is a lot that you can do to be a buddy to these fascinating birds,” said Mr Corbett.

Pelican Tips:

Dispose of fishing line and hooks carefully as they can easily damage the pelican’s sensitive bill pouch.
Pick up rubbish when you walk so it doesn’t enter waterways, where it can tear the guts or intestines of marine animals and birds such as pelicans.
Avoid using chemicals and pesticides on your garden as rains will cause runoff to enter waterways, where it can cause algal blooms or accumulate in the food chain and make marine animals and birds sick.
Keep cats and dogs indoors as much as possible, especially at night.

“Enjoy Pelican antics in your area,” said Mr Corbett. “Look out for them near large expanses of open water that don’t have a lot of aquatic vegetation. Though they’re graceful in the air, they’re quite comical on land, waddling along on their large blue webbed feet.”

Pelican facts:

Australian Pelicans grow up to 1.8 metres long.
Australian Pelicans have a wingspan of up to 2.5 m.
The Australian Pelican’s large bill grows up to 50 cm in length.
The pelican’s stretchy bill pouch holds up to 13 litres!
Pelicans live for up to 25 years or more.
Pelicans can stay in the air for 24 hours by riding thermal currents, and can travel hundreds of kilometres in one go.
Flying Pelicans can reach speeds of up to 56 km per hour.

Pelicans are mainly quiet, but during breeding periods listen out for their ‘orrh, thu-thuh, ah-ah-ahah’ and ‘uh-uhhr’ calls.

“During periods of starvation, pelicans will eat seagulls, pigeons or ducks. They scoop them up in their bill pouches and swallow them whole, after much flapping and struggling. It is a really bizarre sight to see.”

Share photos of your native animal buddies on www.facebook.com/backyardbuddies.

Range:

According to ‘The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds’, Australian Pelicans live all over Australia. They are capable of flying long distances in a short amount of time and may turn up anywhere where conditions are suitable. They are most abundant in estuaries, but are also commonly found on other types of waterways.

Backyard Buddies: We Peli-can Make our Backyards Safe

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