COMMENT 330537P
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2012-10-11 08:46 PM |
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The reason you haven't seen a baby pelican is because they're hatched on the Channel Islands, specifically on West Anacapa. That's the main, primary breeding/nesting area for the California Brown Pelican, yet another reason to be concerned about ship safety and oil spills. They only come to the mainland once they've fledged, at the earliest when they're several months old. (That's also why the Wildlife Care Network gets in so many young ones: it's very hard to catch a fish and it takes a lot of practicing.)
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COMMENT 330538
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2012-10-11 08:47 PM |
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Pelicans nest in colonies, usually on isolated islands away from ground predators. The breeding pair share the tasks of building the nest, incubation and feeding the
young. The nest, a crude platform of sticks lined with grass or seaweed, usually contains 2-4 eggs. Pelicans from the Shoalhaven may travel great distance to
undisturbed nesting sites and it is only when the young are strong enough to fly that they are able to return to the area.
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COMMENT 330539
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2012-10-11 08:49 PM |
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There is no such thing as a baby pelican.
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COMMENT 330541
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2012-10-11 08:51 PM |
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They breed on the islands, so unless you go there you won't see a small baby pelican. If you look close at their head, the young ones have gray heads, adults have white heads. By the time they are along the coast, they are about the same size as the adults.
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COMMENT 330543
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2012-10-11 08:53 PM |
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39: If you are going to show your superior knowledge of nature and terms associated with it, it might be nice to share the correct term in the same breath as your slap at the questioner. For $200, What is a Chick?
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COMMENT 330544P
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2012-10-11 08:56 PM |
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543: chick | ch ik|
noun 2. informal chiefly derogatory a young woman : she's a great-looking chick.
Oh, yeah, it's also: 1. a young bird, esp. one newly hatched.
• a newly hatched domestic fowl.
(Do I get $400 for giving you both answers?! If so, please donate it to edhat. )
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REXOFSB
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2012-10-11 09:21 PM |
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For that matter, I don't think I've ever seen a baby pigeon, either.
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COMMENT 330552P
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2012-10-11 09:26 PM |
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RESOFSB: if you ask in the meat section of WholeFoods or Gelsons you might be able to see one! Otherwise, keep an eye out around the undersides of Stearns Wharf, Goleta Pier, etc. in the spring. Unlike pelicans and most other birds, they are not protected by law so you might be able to harvest your very own squab. But, beware: the parents are quite protective.
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REXOFSB
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2012-10-11 10:11 PM |
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I hear they're mighty good eatin' for the pennies they cost.
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COMMENT 330564P
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2012-10-11 11:26 PM |
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It's funny. That may well be one of the most frequently asked bird-related questions (from non-birders): Where are the baby pigeons (squab)? They stay in the nest until nearly full grown. As for the meat-eater comments . . . har har.
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COMMENT 330581P
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2012-10-12 07:06 AM |
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Pelicans and pigeons, and of lot of other birds, are termed altricial. The babies remain in the nest being fed by the parents until they reach nearly full adult size. Immatures can be identified generally by different plumage than matures, but not by size. The other end of the spectrum is termed precocial (as in precocious), wherein the chicks are mobile when they first hatch, such as quail, chickens, and ducks. Those are the cute little birds which can be seen out and around following mom.
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AQUAHOLIC
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2012-10-12 07:38 AM |
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Never thought about 'baby' pelicans before, I sent Ed a photo of an adult one this morning though... come to think of it, has anyone ever seen a baby coot?...hmmm, we could be on to something...hahaha.
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AQUAHOLIC
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2012-10-12 07:39 AM |
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581P....thank you for that!...I love learning new words.
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COMMENT 330601
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2012-10-12 08:03 AM |
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The only way to spot a baby bird of any kind is to find their nest where they remain until old enough to be fledged or start making forays out of the nest as adolescents.
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COMMENT 330604
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2012-10-12 08:10 AM |
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Duh...Mother pelicans keep their babies safe and warm in their mouths until the time is right for them to fly free as adults. That's why they are classified as marsupials.
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COMMENT 330609
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2012-10-12 08:22 AM |
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Baby pigeons are squab? I never knew. What one learns from Edhat.
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COMMENT 330692
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2012-10-12 12:01 PM |
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Thanks, 581P! I knew that most birds remain in the nest until nearly full-grown, but I didn't know those descriptors,
"altricial" and "precocial."
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AUNTIE S.
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2012-10-12 12:24 PM |
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LOL 604 I learn something new every day.
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COMMENT 330716P
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2012-10-12 01:12 PM |
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Baby coot - Cachuma Lake cruise. They have orange feathers around the head. Baby Brown pelicans (white) in a nest on the Channel Islands.
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COMMENT 330727
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2012-10-12 01:39 PM |
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Don't first year pelicans have the white stomach?
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COMMENT 331295
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2012-10-14 04:52 PM |
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@330601 You're wrong, and obviously so. Learn something from 330581P.
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