What is the Australian pelican?
The Australian pelican is a large black-and-white waterbird with the longest bill of any bird, reaching up to about 50 centimetres. It lives on coasts, rivers and lakes across Australia.
Australian pelicans have a wingspan of around 2.3 to 2.6 metres and weigh up to about 7 kilograms. Their bill has a large stretchy pouch used to scoop up fish, then drain the water before swallowing.
Pelicans are skilled soaring birds and can stay in the air for hours, using rising warm air currents. They can fly long distances inland to breed when desert lakes fill after floods.
Breeding in the desert
When Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and other inland lakes fill, tens of thousands of pelicans may gather to breed on islands. When the water dries, the birds leave.
At The Entrance on the New South Wales Central Coast, daily pelican feeding has become a popular attraction.
Pelicans often fish cooperatively, swimming in a line or circle to herd fish into shallow water. They also scavenge scraps from anglers at boat ramps and jetties, which can be dangerous if they swallow hooks or fishing line. Wildlife carers rescue many pelicans tangled in line each year.
Did You Know?
The Coorong's pelicans were made famous by Colin Thiele's novel Storm Boy and the films based on it.