Living near coastal north Florida has a variety of exceptional benefits. The natural environment is a feature many visitors travel great distances to experience and enjoy when they have leisure days to spend in a calm location.
While some residents may take this advantage for granted after a while, a short stopover to another part of the state or country helps put this quality of life issue in clear perspective. Life in this part of the state is hard to beat.
Another plus is the fresh local seafood, and more than the human residents appreciate it. Brown pelicans patrol the coastal waters daily as they have for centuries in search of watery delicacies.
Brown pelicans are a common site skimming just above the surface in search of their next meal.
The pelican’s gaping mouth is augmented by a pouch suspended from the lower half of the bird’s long, straight bill. The bill may compose one-third of the bird’s overall length.
Brown pelicans are a common sight skimming a few inches above the placid waters of bays, inlets and brackish backwaters. Keen eyesight and sharp reflexes allow these birds to spot small fish and other sea creatures near the surface.
When their menu target is identified, they plunge headfirst with mouth agape at the prospective meal. The pouch functions as a dip-net, trapping the unwary and likely surprised fish.
The pouch holds the pelican’s catch until the water, up to three gallons and weighing almost 30 pounds, is squeezed out. After a successful dive, laughing gulls may hover near and ready to steal any fish left within easy reach by a careless pelican.
It is quite common to see a flock of pelicans spending their leisure time in large groups. Possibly they are sharing tips on successful fishing techniques.
The multi-purpose pouch serves as more than a dip-net. It also serves as a cooling system during hot weather, and as a feeding trough for young pelicans in need of supplemental nutrition.
The brown pelicans are sometimes referred to in literature as the American brown pelican or the common pelican. Whatever name is used, they populate the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts of North and South America.
It is the most frequently seen pelican in this range, but the smallest member at 54 inches in length. They are easily identified by their chestnut and white neck, white head with a pale-yellow crown, brown-streaked back and tail, and gray bill and pouch.
Their 6 1/2- to 7 1/2-foot wingspan easily supports the ten-pound adult weight in flight. Airborne, their necks are retracted with heads resting on their backs as they employ a steady powerful wing beat to propel them in search of fish.
A perch for one allows the solo pelican an ideal location for fishing without any distractions.
Brown pelicans are powerful and agile swimmers. Their young are quickly at home and functioning in the water even as they are still learning to fly.
On land their appearance is awkward and clumsy. Large flocks of pelicans collect on land and in the water during much of the year for gregarious social interaction.
North Florida’s brown pelicans are primarily fish eaters that require up to four pounds of fish daily to support a healthy active adult bird. Their diet consists primarily of fish under a foot in length and not commercially significant.
The occasional unsuspecting shrimp will find its way into the pelican pouch, too. The living is good in coastal counties and even the pelicans agree.
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