The thing you might notice first about great white pelicans is how, well…great they are. And by 'greatThe thing you might notice first about great white pelicans is how, well…great they are. And by 'great' we mean large: With wingspans that can stretch nearly 12 feet from tip to tip, and bills reaching more than 18 inches long, great white pelicans are no delicate chickadees. Their prodigious wingspans propel them across great distances during migrations, or even long-haul searches—sometimes over 60 miles—for their daily meals. Their impressive beaks allow them to scoop up their 2-pound minimum daily requirement of fish.Although their takeoffs may be a bit awkward, these enormous birds are elegant fliers . Like the graceful pair in our image, photographed near Windhoek in Namibia , when great white pelicans flock together, the effect is one of effortless grace... See more See less
