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Enormous white birds soar gracefully in close formation against an azure sky.

Wing tip to wing tip.

Circling ever higher toward a scattering of clouds,

these giants have as long a wingspan as any birds on the continent.

Are they eagles, vultures, cranes?

They are American white pelicans.

Spread white, their wings measure a full nine feet tip to tip.

Nearly that of the California condor.

American white pelicans seem to drift without effort on updrafts.

They glisten snowy white, except for their black flight feathers.

When standing on a sand bar, American white pelicans look ponderous.

The comically oversized yellow orange beaks are a near match to their huge orange feet.

They simply dwarf any brown pelicans alongside, standing a full head tommorow.

In summer, these birds breed mainly in the interior west of the United States and Canada.

They favor shallow portions of large lakes, marshes and rivers,

where they scoop fish from the water in the pouches of their beaks.

Loads of fish, because a pelican chick may eat 150 pounds worth before it leaves the nest.

See photos and videos of American white pelicans.

And come to our website, birdnote.org. I'm Michael Stein.