Soaring - a photo on Flickriver

Soaring

They are not the prettiest birds, but when they are soaring ocean-side they are quite majestic ~ Brown Pelican ~ Florida Keys Postcard Inn ~ Islamorada, Florida

(click more comments to see 7-shot series)

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The Brown Pelican is a small pelican found in the Americas. It is one of the best known and most prominent birds found in the coastal areas of the southern and western United States. It is one of only 3 pelican species found in the Western Hemisphere. The Brown Pelican is one of the only two pelican species which feeds by diving into the water, and it is an amazing sight to see!

Through most of its range, the brown pelican is an unmistakable bird. Like all pelicans, this species has a very large bill (11 to 13.7 inches long) with a gular pouch on the bottom for draining water when it scoops out prey. The head is white but often gets a yellowish wash in adult birds. The bill is grayish overall in most birds, though breeding birds become reddish on the underside of the throat. The back, rump, and tail are streaked with gray and dark brown, sometimes with a rusty hue. In adult pelicans, the breast and belly are a blackish-brown and the legs and feet are black. Juveniles have brownish-gray necks & white underparts.

This bird is readily distinguished from the American White Pelican by its non-white plumage, smaller size and its habit of diving for fish from the air, as opposed to co-operative fishing from the surface. The Peruvian Pelican, previously considered a subspecies of Brown Pelican, is now considered to be a separate species. It has very similar plumage to the Brown, but it is noticeably larger. The Brown and Peruvian pelicans may overlap in some areas along the Pacific coast of South America.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Pelican

Taken in: United States / Florida / Islamorada / Plantation (show map)

Taken on: May 31, 2014

Tags:

brown pelican

avian capture

United States

Florida Keys

Islamorada, Florida

Middle Keys

soaring

in-flight

shoreline

ocean-side

wild

in the wild

nature

beauty

natural

wingspan

fly-by

tail feathers

long bill

unique angle

80 feet up

swoop

soar

searching

fishing

air currents

glide

effortless

rear view « less

Sets appears in: • Birds • Animal Kingdom more » • Middle Keys 2012-22 « less

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Camera: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, f/9.0, 1/640 sec, 160mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Focal Length:	160mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Paint Shop Photo Album v5.21
Show full info

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