Yesterday I shared an image of an American White Pelican I photographed at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma with its large beak wide open in my post An American White Pelican in Action. Today’s photos capture some interesting behavior. This American White Pelican was swimming around with a small object gripped in its bill that it proceeded to toss around repeatedly.
Wildlife Notes
Based on the size and shape, I believe the object may have been a small root ball. The pelican would grab it in its bill, throw it up in the air, catch it again, sometimes drop it in the water, retrieve it, and then resume its game of throwing and catching. This went on for several minutes before the bird ultimately left the object behind in the water and returned to a group of other pelicans.
American White Pelicans are known for their feeding strategy of catching fish in the pouches under their bills by dipping their heads underwater. They catch and immediately swallow fish whole. There have been observations of pelicans seeming to play with caught fish before consuming them. However, I couldn’t find reference to them doing this with non-food items like what I witnessed.
American White Pelican Playing Behavior
To me, this pelican’s behavior appeared to be akin to play. It seemed to be having fun just tossing this thing around haphazardly with no intention of eating it. I was delighted to capture this moment of a pelican entertaining itself with a game of throw and catch.
It makes me wonder how much time birds spend engaging in play when they aren’t busy feeding or defending territory. Moments like this certainly bring these amazing creatures to life even more for me. Have you ever observed birds engaging in what looked like play behavior?
Photography Notes
I photographed this American White Pelican playing with an object at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma on November 28, 2023, at 10:13 AM. I was shooting from my pickup, which I often use as a mobile blind at the refuge. The morning light was excellent, providing clean illumination on the white plumage and highlighting the detail in the bird’s bill and pouch.
Image Information:
- Camera: Canon EOS R7
- Lens: Canon RF 800mm F11
- Aperture: f/11
- Shutter Speed: 1/2000
- ISO: 1000
- Exposure Compensation: -1.0
The R7’s crop sensor gave me extra reach with the 800mm lens. I used a fast shutter speed to freeze the pelican’s tossing motion and the water droplets. The exposure compensation helped prevent the white plumage from blowing out in the bright reflection off the water.
For more pelican encounters at Sequoyah, check out my post on Unique Fishing Tactics of American White Pelicans and American White Pelicans: Rare?.
Note: I reviewed this post a couple of years later (2025) and realized the pelican may not have been playing after all. It might have been checking that piece of debris to see if it was edible.
I never realized birds engaged in play. But that is exactly what he was doing! Play time is also training even for us.
Steve, based on this pelican’s plumage and bill color, I would say that this is a hatch-year bird. For young pelicans, and other birds, this type of play may be a learning experience for them. Fascinating images and behavior.