With a wingspan of 8 ½ ft. and weighing 15 lbs, the American White Pelican registers as a very large bird. Colonial and gregarious, American White Pelicans frequently concentrate large amounts of bird mass in relatively small areas. They concentrate themselves at their nesting colonies at inland lakes, and also rest together on islands in large groups. Unlike Brown Pelicans which plunge dive for fish, American White Pelicans forage cooperatively by herding and then swallowing groups of small fish and invertebrates. Sometime American White Pelicans also kleptoparasitize – stealing fresh-caught food from terns and other species.

Photo © William C. Webb

Compared to most species nesting in the U.S. or Canada, very little is known about the Elegant Trogon - especially regarding dispersal and demography. Perhaps this species remains under-studied because the bulk of its range occurs in Mexico and Central America. Nevertheless, the Elegant Trogon does breed in southern Arizona, Texas, and possibly New Mexico. Finding this brightly-colored species in the U.S. is not easy, but it is well worth adding to your life list.

Photo © pfCaron