Salmon Arm Bay Pelicans


American White Pelicans are an exciting sight in the Shuswap. Their presence however is not as rare as commonly believed and widely reported by local press. Salmon Arm residents near the bay have spotted the birds almost annually for decades. Vernon residents living near Okanagan Lake share the observations. There have been multiple reports of the birds visiting up and down the Okanagan and Shuswap.

Salmon Arm Bay Pelicans

The American White Pelican is one of the largest birds in North America with a 9-foot wingspan, weighing up to 30 pounds. Despite their long beaks, these pelicans do not dive from the air to fish. Despite their great size, flocks often soarg very high in the air.

Salmon Arm Bay Pelicans

American White Pelicans are found across the north-central and western United States. In Canada, they are found in the Interior of British Columbia at Stum Lake north-west of Williams Lake and east to northwestern Ontario. Eventually, they migrate south to the Gulf Coast states, Mexico and on to Central America. 

American White Pelicans at Salmon Arm Bay Shuswap Lake

Males and females of American White Pelicans look alike, with snow-white plumage set off by black wing feathers that are most noticeable in flight. Bill, legs and feet are pale orange. Juveniles are dusky white with pale yellow bills and feet. During the breeding season, these birds become more colourful with the bare skin around the eye, legs and feet changing to a vivid red-orange, and a light-yellow crest growing atop their heads.

Salmon Arm Bay Pelicans

The American White Pelican is seasonally monogamous and highly social. They pair up quickly after arriving at their large colony sites, usually located on isolated lake or marsh islands. Circular flights over the colony indicate courtship. When on the ground, the birds display a variety of strutting, bowing, and head swaying.

A simple scrape on the ground, sometimes edged with a shallow rim of vegetation is the nest built by a mated pair. Two eggs on average are shared by both adults for a month long incubation. Pelicans warm their eggs under their large feet, a behavior that occurs only in pelicans and some pelican-like birds, such as Brown Booby and Brandt’s Cormorant. The young hatch naked and blind, but their eyes open within a day, and they quickly develop a covering of white down. The American White Pelican is especially sensitive and will abandon its eggs and young if humans approach too closely.


Pelicans at Salmon Arm Bay, Shuswap Lake BC (4K) Video


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