Brown Pelicans
Plunge-diving Brown Pelican, Santa Cruz, California
Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) are the only pelican species with this unique foraging behavior where they circle above the water (often up to 50 yards above the surface), spot their prey, and then stoop into a plunge dive like a raptor would do. Shortly before impact, they fold in their wings so they can reach the bait fish swimming under the surface. It is just amazing to watch these birds catch their prey, and it is even more impressive when there are hundreds of them doing it at the same time.
