Pink Pelican is a major representative of the Pelican family. Belongs to the domain of eukaryotes, the type of chordal, a detachment of pelican. Forms its own appearance. In the family, in size takes the second line after a curly pelican.
The bird acquired its name thanks to the predominance of pink shade in plumage. Moreover, the brightness of the color on different parts of the body is different. In a calm state, the bird seems completely pink. In flight, it exposes black flyer feathers, which looks pretty spectacular.
Description
The body of males reaches 1.85 m in length. The plumage on the belly is characterized by a brighter pink tint compared to the dorsal department and a surface bedspread on the wings. Scope can reach 3.8 meters. The length of the wings of male individuals is 66-77 cm, in female individuals-58-78 cm. Weight, depending on the floor, varies from 5.5 to 10 kg.
The appearance of an almost completely straight tail consisting of 24 steering feathers is distinguished. The length of the tail can be from 13.8 to 23 cm. The plumage is not frequent, tightly adjacent to the body.
Like other representatives of the family, pink individuals have a long flattened beak, which takes the shape of a hook to the bottom. It reaches 35-47 cm in length. The throat bag can stretch hard. The neck is quite long.
The plumage is absent in the frontal part, near the eyes and behind the eyes, in the jaw area. The downward plumage in the area of the head sails with a sharp cape on the frontal part with bare skin. There is a small process on the head, which consists of pointed feathers of a larger length.
The younger generation of birds instead of plumage have brown fluff. Legs and beak are distinguished by a slight black shade, and the throat bag is dark in dark.
The chicks have a gray-brown neck, and a lighter spinal area. A light blue shade prevails on the back. Wings acquire a light brown tone. Brown tint wings with black shade. The abdominal region is white, but there is a slight brown plaque.
Adults receive pale pink feathers. The spinal part is somewhat lighter. A hoarse area appears on the sternum. Flaw black wings with brown intersperses. The legs of adult specimens acquire a yellow color, on the bends an orange shade.
It is noteworthy, but in pink pelicans during the period of mating forms, the socalled “marriage outfit” is formed. At the front of the frontal lobe, swollen. Naked skin and irishale are richly scarlet. The throat bag becomes yellow. The color of the beak also falls more vivid shades. This feature is characteristic of both females and males. Differences, except for body size, they do not have.
Habitat
Mostly, the species is found in the territory of southeastern Europe, Africa, as well as in the Middle and Southwestern part of Asia. Builds nests from the Danube Delta down to Western Mongolia. Spends winter in Africa and Asia. At the beginning of the last century he met in Hungary and the Czech Republic. Also in Moldova, Ukraine. Russia is visited in March, which intersects with the wedding season.
Food
Pink pelican prefers waterfowl. Most often, hunts large fish species. Sometimes they do not mind enjoying the chicks and eggs of capture boars. The daily dose consists of approximately 1 kg of fish.
Interesting Facts
- The pink pelican has interesting marriage games. From the side, flirting looks like a dance. Partners take turns soaring into the air and fall to the water. The action is accompanied by a kind of muttering. After that, the couple is in contact with its beaks and proceeds to mating.
- The construction of poultry nests is negligent. The construction of housing takes no more two days. At the same time, the male brings building materials, and the female is engaged in construction. It is also notable that partners are very fond of stealing materials from their neighbors. Because of this, they are often attacked by females.
