American White Pelican

Patient of the Week: American White Pelican


Pelicans and stray fishing tackle sure don’t mix. This American White Pelican came into our care with nasty fishing line entanglement injuries. The bird was transferred to us from our friends at WildCare in July with a huge abscess on one wing (plus maggots, ewww, now thankfully gone) and some serious damage to a leg that we are treating.

We are happy to report that after several surgeries for wound treatment and a toe amputation the bird is healing like a champ. Between extra helpings of fish and mandatory hydrotherapy for his leg, the White Peli is flying from perch to perch in the 100-foot aviary at our San Francisco Bay-Delta Center in Fairfield. We have hopes he will be released back to the wild soon!

White Pelicans have 9-foot wingspans and are some of the largest birds in North America. They are larger than Brown Pelicans and feed differently than their cousins, preferring not to dive into water. Instead, they forage cooperatively in inland bodies of water by herding fish toward shallower water together, then scooping them up with their huge bills. Learn more at Audubon: http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-white-pelican

Photos by staffers Cheryl Reynolds and Rebecca Duerr