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Did You Know?

• The Dalmatian Pelican is one of the heaviest flying birds but that doesn’t stop them from reaching heights of 3 km (1.9 miles)
• They are the largest pelican species found on the planet
• This large pelican will typically eat 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds) of fish per day
• The population of Dalmatian Pelicans is estimated to be between 3000 and 4000 wild individuals.

The Largest Pelican in the World

So just how heavy is the world’s largest pelican? Well, these large birds typically weigh anywhere between 11 and 15 kg (24- 33 lbs), which is pretty heavy for a flying bird. While this weight makes the Dalmatian Pelican a little awkward on land, these birds are exceptional fliers. As mentioned they are able to reach heights of 3000 metres without missing a beat. These birds need to be able to fly well in order to escape pesky poachers. Even though, the Dalmatian Pelican is protected in a good portion of their distribution range, illegal hunting is still impacting their population numbers as is habitat destruction, especially the draining of wetlands.

No Need To Be Picky

When it comes to feeding the Dalmatian Pelican strictly feasts on fish. As indicated they typically require at least 1.2 kilograms of fish on any given day. Since they need to eat so much, this particular pelican isn’t necessarily picky with what they choose. Although, they have been known to pass up larger schools of small fish such as goby in order to focus in on the slightly larger fish in the area. I guess this is pretty typical of most fishermen…always looking for the trophy fish.

Group Fishing

When it comes to fishing, this pelican will usually fish alone or in small groups of 2 or 3. If they are fishing in a group, they will employ a strategy where they basically coral the fish into the shallow end of the waterbody and eat them at will. Interestingly enough, these pelican have even been known to employ this strategy alongside other bird species such as the cormorant. It is always nice when the birds team up to pick on the poor little fish, isn’t it? As seen many times on TV (especially Finding Nemo), the pelican will catch their fish by scooping up a large amount of water in their giant mouth, only allow the fish the pleasure of remaining in the mouth. Actually, on many occasions the Dalmatian Pelican will keep the fish in their pouch for quite some time before deciding to finally eat them. I guess it is alway good to save some food for when you really need it.