Stats

Lifespan

15-25 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Flock

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Oceania

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Herd Safety

Status

Common

About

The Australian pelican is a large waterbird found in the inland and coastal waters of Australia, New Guinea, Fiji, Indonesia, and as a vagrant in New Zealand. Its long bill, which is longer than any other bird in the world, is used to catch fish by sweeping it through the water.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
2. 2.
   hatchling

   A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
3. 3.
   juvenile

   A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Pelecaniformes

Family

Pelecanidae

Genus

Pelecanus

Species

Pelecanus conspicillatus