Zoo Animals In The Wild; Pelicans (1981)

[Laughter] the Pelican Pelicans are large water birds and it's easy to recognize them not many birds have such long beaks can birds this big with beaks this long really fly watch taking off may be a little difficult but once they're in the air [Music] beautiful Pelicans spend much of their time just gliding in the air [Music] Pelicans often fly together in large flocks and build their nests together too on sandy beaches or rocky shores when that flap grows on the Pelican's bill it means that mating time has come Pelicans build simple nests with just a few twigs and some grass the Pelican usually lays only one or two eggs and she may sit on the eggs of other Pelicans not just her [Music] own the P egg has a thick shell but that doesn't keep the chick from hatching out the baby Pelican is born without feathers the chicks are helpless and need to be protected and fed by their parents and the food is usually fish with that pouch under their bill Pelicans can just scoop up fish [Music] and then it's feeding time for the little [Music] chicks and so the chicks eat and rest and grow while their parents watch over them and take care of them they start getting feathers like their parents have they can just about walk but they can't fly not yet they still have a lot of eating and growing to do the whole flock stays together on the shore while the chicks are growing up the chicks stay close together too the Pelicans fish the chicks eat and get bigger and bigger it's almost time for them to learn to fish for themselves they have to learn to fly first are they ready not quite but they will be soon Learning to Fly isn't easy especially since the older Pelicans don't teach their chicks the chicks have to learn by themselves [Music] it may take a few weeks but after a lot of practice they all [Music] fly it won't be long before all the young pelicans have joined the flock for Endless hours of floating on air Pelicans [Music] n [Music]