Stepping The Water

Title

Stepping The Water

Artist

Michaela Perryman

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Pelican step at the beginning its run up to flight off Shoalwater Marine Park, Western Australia

It is an effort for them to get airborne
Australian pelican. The Australian pelican ( Pelecanus conspicillatus) is a large waterbird in the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand. It is a predominantly white bird with black wings and a pink bill.

Overall, the Australian pelican is predominantly white in colour. There is a white panel on the upper-wing and a white-V on the rump set against black along the primaries. During courtship, the orbital skin and distal quarter of the bill are orange-coloured with the pouch variously turning dark blue, pink and scarlet. The non-breeding adult has its bill and eye-ring a pale yellow and the pouch is a pale pinkish. Juvenile birds are similar to the adults, but with black replaced with brown and the white patch on upper wing reduced. Overall, their appearance is somewhat similar to several other pelicans, though the species is allopatric

It is a medium size pelican, but the pale, pinkish bill is enormous, even by pelican standards, and is the largest bill in the avian world. The record-sized bill was 50 cm (20 in) long

Featured in
Water Forms 24/07/2020
Beautiful Birds 25/07/2020

Uploaded

July 24th, 2020

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