American White Pelican

Believe it or not, these once-scarce pouched birds are now appearing in ever growing numbers in Wisconsin. That's right, the American white pelican, a relation to the ocean-going brown pelican, gathers in small pockets of undisturbed habitat near the Upper Mississippi River, near Green Bay, and at Horicon Marsh. White pelicans outside of our state borders can be found along coastal waters in addition to the North American interior.

Adult white pelicans are one of the largest birds around, weighing 16 pounds with an impressive 9-foot wing span. Look closely at birds riding heat thermals on clear days, it just might be a pelican rather than a hawk gliding in circles. Look for a large white bird with a tucked neck and an orange bill, legs, and feet. It has black primary and outer secondary feathers. Unlike their brown cousins, the white pelicans fish in groups by floating atop the water. They simply dip their heads below the surface to troll for gizzard shad and emerald shiner fish, using their feet and wings to corral fish. They consume an average of 3 pounds of fish per day.

Pelicans nest in colonies on sandbars, islands, and peninsulas in remote, undisturbed areas. In Wisconsin, pelicans are only known to nest on Cat Island near Green Bay and on Catttail, Pelican, and Snag Islands in the middle of the Horicon Marsh refuge. Biologists are hopeful that, as the number of pelicans grow, they will begin to nest along the Mississippi River, from Alma south to Dubuque Iowa.

Birds that are mature enough to reproduce will develop "nuptial tubercles," or large ridges on top of their bills, and ornamental plumes atop their head. Once chick feeding begins, the ridges fall off and the birds develop black feathers on the back of the head. Their eye color also changes from dark to light as their breeding status changes. Nests are built as ground depressions lined with dried vegetation. Pelicans lay an average of two eggs and incubate them using their feet since they don't have the typical "brood patch" of bare skin on the belly. White pelican chicks hatch helpless, with homely, orange skin. They eat by digging digested food out of the adult's pouch. As chicks mature, they join a "pod" or "gang" and feed in large groups until they are ready to fly at about 10 weeks.

In September, white pelicans leave their nesting grounds and head south. Thanks to a 30-year U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leg banding study, biologists now know that the pelicans nesting in the Minnesota area overwinter in Mexico, Texas and other Gulf States. Studies also show that white pelicans can live as long as 30 years. The future looks promising for the American white pelican in Wisconsin.

To view white pelicans this summer, visit Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. Spotting scopes at the visitor center offer a close-up experience from a safe distance. Viewing is best in the early morning hours. Also keep watch for pelicans in flight or on the water along hiking and bicycle trails on Main Dike Road, State Highway 49, or Old Marsh Road. For viewing opportunities along the Mississippi, contact the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge-La Crosse District at 555 Lester Avenue, Onalaska WI 54650, or call (608) 783-8405.