Pelicans on water
The Australian Pelican, also know as Goolayyalibee, is a large water bird, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea. This photo was taken at Wynnum Creek.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Close-up of Head
Medium-sized by pelican standards: 1.6 to 1.8 metres long with a wingspan of 2.3 to 2.5 metres and weighing between 4 and 7 kilograms. Predominantly white, with black and white wings and a pale, pinkish bill.
Photo: Derek Boddington
Pelicans on Land
The bills of pelicans are large, giving rise to the rhyme The Pelican by Dixon Lanier Merritt:
- A wonderful bird is the pelican
- His bill will hold more than his belican.
- He can take in his beak
- Enough food for a week
- But I’m damned if I see how the helican.
The bills of the males are larger than those of the females.
Photo: Derek Boddington
