A brown Pelican entertains pier goers on Monday, July 7, 2008, in Santa Monica. Pelicans are a large, gregarious aquatic bird of warm regions, allied to the
cormorants and gannets. They are heavy-bodied, long-necked birds with large,
flat bills. Pelicans are graceful swimmers and fliers, often seen flying in long
lines or circling at great heights. The pelicans are indeed famous for their
beaks, which they fill with huge gulps of water, strain out the liquid, and eat
the remaining fish or squid. The California brown pelican is strictly an ocean
bird.
"Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than
his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week.
But I'm
darned if I know how the helican."
Dixon Lanier Merritt
(1879-1972)