Pelicans

Alex Re

Hello, welcome to on wildlife. I'm your host, Alex Re. On this podcast, we bring the wild to you. We take you on a journey into the life of a different animal every week. And I guarantee you, you're gonna come out of here knowing more about your favorite animal than you did before. We've got another really awesome guest this week, and I can't wait for you guys to hear our conversation. This episode, I got to sit down with your itsa Acosta, who is the wildlife rehabilitation manager at the Pelican harbor seabird Station in Florida. She's been rehabilitating all kinds of wildlife for around 12 years. And she has a lot of cool information about the animal that we're talking about today. So I hope you're not afraid of heights, because this week, we're reaching some high altitudes to talk about pelicans.

There are eight different species of Pelican and you can find them almost anywhere in the world near the ocean and sometimes in freshwater. And their most famous feature is the pouch underneath their beak. But what's it used for? Well, you have to find out in my interview with your itsa. Another important feature that they have is their webbed feet, which can be seen in a lot of different waterbirds. And these webbed feet help them swim better while they're floating on the water. Some people would call these birds living dinosaurs, and they do look kind of prehistoric. But what's really cool is that pelicans have been around for more than 30 million years. And they're also pretty big for a bird. The Dalmatian Pelican is the largest Pelican species, and it's also one of the largest birds that can fly in general, their wingspan can get to be over 11 feet long. This means that their wingspan would be around the same length as two full sized refrigerators stacked on top of each other. Not only that, but they can also fly as high as 10,000 feet in the air. Speaking of flying pelicans are birds that participate in something called thermal soaring. Thermal soaring means that they use heat pockets called thermals, in order to help them glide through the air, which allows them to flap their wings a lot less. And this helps them preserve a lot of their energy. If you ever noticed a bird like a pelican or a vulture circling around in the air, you're probably watching them trying to catch a thermal. When they catch a thermal they keep circling until they get to the height that they want to be at. But why do they need to conserve so much energy? Well, during the winter, a lot of Pelican populations migrate south for warmer weather. Some of them can travel extremely far distances, so they stock up on food and try not to waste their energy. And in the spring mating season occurs, and some pelicans are seasonally monogamous, meaning that they stick with one mate for that season, and then they may find a new mate next year. Their mating rituals are different depending on their species, but some of their behaviors include head bobbing and flying in a certain pattern. But by far the strangest mating behavior comes from the American white Pelican. Males grow a horn on their beak during the mating season. The horn seems to be a way for the pelicans to express that they're ready to mate. And some biologists have noticed that they use the horn in their mating rituals. After the female lays her eggs, the horn falls off and grows back next year. Okay, now you see how cool pelicans are. And there's still so much more to talk about. We're going to take a break and when we get back, you're going to hear my interview with the wildlife rehabilitation manager at the Pelican harbor seabird station, you're rizza Acosta. This week on notable figures in science, I want to recognize Dr. Joan Merle Owens. She was a teacher for multiple years, but then decided to go back to school to focus on marine biology. She worked on a project at the Smithsonian that focused on studying corals because she had sickle cell anemia, which actually prevented her from diving into the ocean. After this, she got her PhD at George Washington University, and later in her life. She even helped describe a new genus of corals and classified a new species. He made some large contributions to the field of marine biology and specifically to the world of corals. If you want to learn more about Dr. Owens or the series, check out on wildlife.org Okay, we're back. Enjoy my interview with your itsa hire itsa How are you? Hello, I'm good. How are you? I'm good. Thank you so much for coming onto the podcast. I really can't wait to hear About pelicans. Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm excited. Awesome. So first, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became interested in pelicans? Yeah.

Yaritza Acosta

Um, so I got a Bachelor's in biology, graduated in 2012. And where I went to college in North Carolina, there was a wildlife rehab center up there. And when I started, I had no idea what that was. I didn't know that was the thing. And I immediately fell in love with it. It was actually a class that I had to take for my pre vet major. And so when I graduated, I actually graduated with a minor in wildlife rehabilitation. And I loved it so much. I stayed there as a volunteer and intern and whatever I could do, and then after graduation, I moved down to Florida to work and try to get into vet school and started working at Pelican harbor seabird station, and I had no experience with seabirds, and the first time I saw Pelican I was just like, that's a dinosaur This is Oh, it was really cool. And because Pelican harbor superstation is known for treating pelicans. You know, that was one of the first kind of seabird that I really learned to treat down here, and so quickly fell in love with them and pelicans have become one of my favorite birds still, no,

Alex Re

that's so cool. And you are the wildlife rehabilitation manager at Pelican harbor seabird station. So can you tell me about like, what their mission is and what you do there specifically?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so we are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick injured or orphan, brown Pelican, seabirds and native wildlife. And we also will educate the community about conservation efforts, what we do, and about how they can also help protect these animals. So we've been around for actually about 40 years. Wow, you're started. Yeah, back in 1980, by a couple who lived in the marina where we're at, and they found an injured Pelican. They treated it on their houseboat. And then, you know, they loved it so much. They work towards making the facility that we are today. And we're constantly growing and taking in more and more animals. And so you know, back then it was just pelicans. And now we take in a variety of species of animals.

Alex Re

That's so cool. And I love the fact that you guys are also into the education aspect. I think that's really important. When we talking about conservation and people caring about animals.

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, definitely we that's one of the things that we really try to work on, in our community, and even outside of Miami, with social media and other kinds of things is getting the word out there about wildlife rehabilitation in general. And then you know, what they can do to help these animals that are suffering in different ways out in the wild.

Alex Re

Yeah, that's really important. And you guys are doing really great work. You obviously you probably work with a lot of pelicans on a daily basis. So what do you feed them? And what do they usually eat in the wild? And is it different?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so pelicans are predominantly fish eaters. So they eat different small schools of fish out in the wilds. We feed a two kinds in particular with red herring and Caitlin, to our pelicans and rehab here. So they might occasionally eat other things like lizards or small birds, but they're really just fish eaters.

Alex Re

Oh, cool. And how do they catch their prey because fish don't just sit there and wait for them to be eaten.

Yaritza Acosta

Um, so pelicans actually hunt. So they there's actually brown pelicans are one of two species that actually will plunge

Alex Re

dive for their fish. plunge diving is a technique used by some pelicans and other seabirds, where they dive headfirst into the water in order to quickly pounce on their prey. You Ritson was telling me that they turn their heads in a certain way, which protects their esophagus from the impact of the water.

Yaritza Acosta

And so they come up with the fish and a bunch of water, they drain the water out, and the fishes just left and then they swallowed that hole. So the brown Pelican and the Peruvian Pelican do this. And then other species of Pelican actually will just kind of swim together in a herd and they'll herd fish into one area and they all just kind of snap at the water. He's trying to get a fish, so they do that way. That's really cool. And if if anybody's ever seen the pelicans doing the dive into the water, it's one of the coolest things you'll you'll get to see.

Alex Re

So going off of that, pelicans are pretty well known for the pouch that they have underneath their bill. So what do they use this for?

Yaritza Acosta

Yes, so like I said, when they're hunting, they will get a lot of water when they come up with the fish. So that helps can hold about one to two gallons of water. And they'll open their mouth just lightly so the water drains out in the fishes leftover and they'll swallow the fish hole. So that's one of the main purposes is while they're hunting, but you also see them thermo regulating with the pouch. So you might see a pelican with the pouch kind of like fluttering back and forth. So that's kind of, I guess, the equivalent of like a dog panting is them trying to cool down? Really that's,

Alex Re

that's insane. And I'm assuming that they probably don't sweat other than using their, their flap to to release heat. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And do they have any other cool adaptations that they use for survival?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so um, pelicans also have these kind of slits on the top of their beak. And a lot of people think that that's their nose. But they actually can't breathe out of these slits, they're too small. So what it's used for is to help drain excess salt out of the bloodstream. So they're in the water, they're in the ocean, they're taking in water, they're swimming in it. So any salt in their system that they don't need, will go through this process, and you'll kind of see it drained out of these little nostrils there. But other than that, they don't breathe through it. So pelicans are mouth breathers. So they need their bill, you know, cracked open when you're holding them so they can breathe. But yeah, the soul clan kind of drainage is a cool adaptation. Yeah, that

Alex Re

is really cool. And I think a few other, like seabirds also have this. Like, I just did an episode on penguins. And I'm pretty sure they have something similar to that as well. Yeah, exactly. Because you don't want saltwater getting in your mouth while you're hunting for food.

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, that's no good. Another thing I guess is a lot of people think Pelican says because they're big that they're heavy birds, but they're actually mostly air sex. So they have a lot of air sacs on their stomach and around their body. And it helps them be buoyant on the water, and also helps them be lighter as they're flying.

Alex Re

Remember how we were talking about how pelicans dive into the water for food, while the air sacs will actually inflate just before they hit the water as an extra mode of protection? So you talked a little bit about how they can kind of hunt for their prey in in groups. So could you talk a little bit more about like, if they're more social animals? Because a lot of birds are social?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah. Yeah, pelicans are very social. They're usually are flying together, you'll see them in that kind of iconic V, or like w formation, they do roost together at night. During nesting season, they all will build their nest close to each other. Even though they still will fight with each other. Sometimes, though, they like to be close. You will see lone pelicans flying here and there hanging out. But a lot of times you will see them together. And in rehab, they do find together with other birds, we usually like to keep them in groups. That way they kind of are playing with the other birds kind of feel better when they're around their own kind. And they tend to just kind of heal better and faster that way. So definitely social. Yeah. Well, that's

Alex Re

great. And are there ways that they communicate with each other?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so pelicans don't have any kind of real vocal cords, like other singing kind of birds. So they can do kind of like a hiss or raspy sound, but a lot of their communicating is through body language. So they do a lot of wing flapping body swaying. Babies, when they're begging for food, they're flapping their wings frantically, they're snapping at the mom's mouth. If they feel threatened, they'll sway their head and snap at you. It's a lot of body language for sure. That's really cool.

Alex Re

So how are they important to the ecosystems that they live in. So pelicans are considered like an indicator species, indicator species or species that can tell scientists if they're looking at a healthy ecosystem. If an indicator species is doing well in an ecosystem, that usually means that that ecosystem is doing well too. If they're dying out, then you know you've got a problem.

Yaritza Acosta

Because they feed predominantly on fish. If there were something to go wrong in the fish population where they're living, they would definitely feel the impacts of them. And you might find them starving or dying, their population is decreasing. So that's a good indicator that something's going wrong in the waters where they're at in the ecosystem. And so a lot of times you might want to look into that and see, you know, Why are there no fish? Why are the pelicans dying? So they're good at looking at ecosystems that way to kind of see how healthy the area is. Okay, so

Alex Re

if you see some pelicans then you know that the ecosystem is kind of doing pretty well.

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah. Exactly, you see them, you know hunting a lot in the bay or in a lake where you're at. And you know that that's a good a good area. Absolutely.

Alex Re

And you talked a little bit about how if there's not a lot of fish, they could face some problems. So what what are some of the problems that pelicans are facing right now?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so a lot of hook and line related problems are what we see. So they are swimming and hunting in these waters. And there might be fishing line or hope, or hopes, fly are floating around in the water, they can get entangled. Sometimes these fishing lures are shaped like fish, and so to a pelican that just looks like a fish. And they might try to eat it, and then they will get caught in their palates or their thrones and cause issues there. So a lot of the fishing line and hook related things we see also habitat destruction. These birds like to roost and nest on mango trees and islands, in the bay or in the ocean. And you know, when we start seeing those things disappear, then there's nowhere for them to nest or roost. And then they try to find other places. And then they can end up in places where they're not normally seen and can get into trouble and cause issues that way. So those are some challenges. And we usually will educate people on properly just throwing away a fishing line and hooks, not feeding them. That's another big thing is these birds will hang around marinas and beaches where people are fishing. And people like to throw them scraps. But then the bird will get used to that. And then they'll hang around in these dangerous areas, and then also get into trouble. So those are some of the things that they're dealing with.

Alex Re

Yeah, absolutely. And some of those things you'd never really think about, like, you think, oh, if I feed this bird, maybe I'm doing it a favor, but you're actually hurting it more than you're helping it because fish for for its life. Yeah, yeah. And what are some of the things that are causing that habitat destruction near their, where they nest,

Yaritza Acosta

um, it could be a variety of things, you know, environmental changes can cause a lot of these islands to lose their plant life. And so trees aren't growing, or the waters around them are polluted. And so these islands are the dirts being polluted, and then things won't grow. Or in certain areas, if we get rid of a lot of islands to make other things, roads or, or buildings or things like that, then those animals are losing their habitat there. So those are kind of the main things.

Alex Re

Definitely. So one could say that humans are causing a lot of the issues surrounding pelicans and definitely a lot of other animals as well. So yeah, yeah. And is there anything that we can do, like the average person can do to help pelicans?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, definitely, just definitely be mindful of, if you're out fishing, to properly dispose of old fishing line and fishing hooks and not leave them lying around. So they end up in the water, if you are throwing back fish that you caught to make sure to remove any hooks or line that are in them or on them, or even just properly throwing away trash, so that doesn't end up in the waterways, and these birds don't get entangled in them. And also, you know, if you find injured animals, I'm definitely to call your local wildlife rehabilitator or your Fish and Wildlife Service because they usually have a list of wildlife facilities in each state. And then you can you know, communicate with them and you know, maybe you might have to try to catch the animals sometimes they can come out so just kind of being mindful of your everyday activities and properly throwing away things. And then contacting you know, while they're food tears if you do find an injured animal, for sure.

Alex Re

Yeah, that's, that's great. And it's so easy to do these things and and you might not even know that you're making a difference. But if you're properly disposing of these things, you are and you're helping wildlife without even knowing it, which is great. So before you go, where can we find information about the Pelican harbor seabird station?

Yaritza Acosta

Yes, you can definitely visit our website, it's Pelican harbor.org or follow us on social media. It's at Siebert station. So we're on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and we do post on YouTube also. So you can follow us there. We usually are posting education materials or upcoming online events, or special release videos or things like that. You can follow us in those areas. And if you're in the Miami area, you can definitely you know, once everything goes by with COVID will be open to the public again and you can come by for tours and meet our ambassador animals and things like that.

Alex Re

Yeah, I don't know anybody who wouldn't want to see a pelican upclose Yeah, they're, they're amazing to see. And other you have other animals as well.

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, we do have an ambassador screech owl and Ambassador great horned owl, un ambassador possum so all these animals are deemed non releasable for various reasons. And so they're used for education programs, um, you know, on site or off site. So yeah,

Alex Re

that's so awesome. Well, you're, it's a thank you so much for coming on. Everybody should absolutely go check out the Pelican harbor seabird station. And thanks again. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Wow, I'm so glad I got to talk with your itsa. pelicans are so cool and so important to the ecosystems that they live in. They definitely have some challenges, which is why it's vital to support organizations like the Pelican harbor seabird station, other organizations that you can support that are doing great work to help pelicans or the international bird rescue and the National Audubon Society. Thank you so much for coming on this adventure with me as we explored the world of pelicans. You can find the sources that we use for this podcast, and links to organizations that we reference at on wildlife.org. You can also email us with any questions at on wildlife dot podcast@gmail.com. Don't forget to tune in next Wednesday for another awesome episode. And that's on wildlife.

Jess Avellino

You've been listening to on wildlife with Alex Re brought to you every Wednesday.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Alex Re

Hello, welcome to on wildlife. I'm your host, Alex Re. On this podcast, we bring the wild to you. We take you on a journey into the life of a different animal every week. And I guarantee you, you're gonna come out of here knowing more about your favorite animal than you did before. We've got another really awesome guest this week, and I can't wait for you guys to hear our conversation. This episode, I got to sit down with your itsa Acosta, who is the wildlife rehabilitation manager at the Pelican harbor seabird Station in Florida. She's been rehabilitating all kinds of wildlife for around 12 years. And she has a lot of cool information about the animal that we're talking about today. So I hope you're not afraid of heights, because this week, we're reaching some high altitudes to talk about pelicans.

There are eight different species of Pelican and you can find them almost anywhere in the world near the ocean and sometimes in freshwater. And their most famous feature is the pouch underneath their beak. But what's it used for? Well, you have to find out in my interview with your itsa. Another important feature that they have is their webbed feet, which can be seen in a lot of different waterbirds. And these webbed feet help them swim better while they're floating on the water. Some people would call these birds living dinosaurs, and they do look kind of prehistoric. But what's really cool is that pelicans have been around for more than 30 million years. And they're also pretty big for a bird. The Dalmatian Pelican is the largest Pelican species, and it's also one of the largest birds that can fly in general, their wingspan can get to be over 11 feet long. This means that their wingspan would be around the same length as two full sized refrigerators stacked on top of each other. Not only that, but they can also fly as high as 10,000 feet in the air. Speaking of flying pelicans are birds that participate in something called thermal soaring. Thermal soaring means that they use heat pockets called thermals, in order to help them glide through the air, which allows them to flap their wings a lot less. And this helps them preserve a lot of their energy. If you ever noticed a bird like a pelican or a vulture circling around in the air, you're probably watching them trying to catch a thermal. When they catch a thermal they keep circling until they get to the height that they want to be at. But why do they need to conserve so much energy? Well, during the winter, a lot of Pelican populations migrate south for warmer weather. Some of them can travel extremely far distances, so they stock up on food and try not to waste their energy. And in the spring mating season occurs, and some pelicans are seasonally monogamous, meaning that they stick with one mate for that season, and then they may find a new mate next year. Their mating rituals are different depending on their species, but some of their behaviors include head bobbing and flying in a certain pattern. But by far the strangest mating behavior comes from the American white Pelican. Males grow a horn on their beak during the mating season. The horn seems to be a way for the pelicans to express that they're ready to mate. And some biologists have noticed that they use the horn in their mating rituals. After the female lays her eggs, the horn falls off and grows back next year. Okay, now you see how cool pelicans are. And there's still so much more to talk about. We're going to take a break and when we get back, you're going to hear my interview with the wildlife rehabilitation manager at the Pelican harbor seabird station, you're rizza Acosta. This week on notable figures in science, I want to recognize Dr. Joan Merle Owens. She was a teacher for multiple years, but then decided to go back to school to focus on marine biology. She worked on a project at the Smithsonian that focused on studying corals because she had sickle cell anemia, which actually prevented her from diving into the ocean. After this, she got her PhD at George Washington University, and later in her life. She even helped describe a new genus of corals and classified a new species. He made some large contributions to the field of marine biology and specifically to the world of corals. If you want to learn more about Dr. Owens or the series, check out on wildlife.org Okay, we're back. Enjoy my interview with your itsa hire itsa How are you? Hello, I'm good. How are you? I'm good. Thank you so much for coming onto the podcast. I really can't wait to hear About pelicans. Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm excited. Awesome. So first, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became interested in pelicans? Yeah.

Yaritza Acosta

Um, so I got a Bachelor's in biology, graduated in 2012. And where I went to college in North Carolina, there was a wildlife rehab center up there. And when I started, I had no idea what that was. I didn't know that was the thing. And I immediately fell in love with it. It was actually a class that I had to take for my pre vet major. And so when I graduated, I actually graduated with a minor in wildlife rehabilitation. And I loved it so much. I stayed there as a volunteer and intern and whatever I could do, and then after graduation, I moved down to Florida to work and try to get into vet school and started working at Pelican harbor seabird station, and I had no experience with seabirds, and the first time I saw Pelican I was just like, that's a dinosaur This is Oh, it was really cool. And because Pelican harbor superstation is known for treating pelicans. You know, that was one of the first kind of seabird that I really learned to treat down here, and so quickly fell in love with them and pelicans have become one of my favorite birds still, no,

Alex Re

that's so cool. And you are the wildlife rehabilitation manager at Pelican harbor seabird station. So can you tell me about like, what their mission is and what you do there specifically?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so we are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick injured or orphan, brown Pelican, seabirds and native wildlife. And we also will educate the community about conservation efforts, what we do, and about how they can also help protect these animals. So we've been around for actually about 40 years. Wow, you're started. Yeah, back in 1980, by a couple who lived in the marina where we're at, and they found an injured Pelican. They treated it on their houseboat. And then, you know, they loved it so much. They work towards making the facility that we are today. And we're constantly growing and taking in more and more animals. And so you know, back then it was just pelicans. And now we take in a variety of species of animals.

Alex Re

That's so cool. And I love the fact that you guys are also into the education aspect. I think that's really important. When we talking about conservation and people caring about animals.

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, definitely we that's one of the things that we really try to work on, in our community, and even outside of Miami, with social media and other kinds of things is getting the word out there about wildlife rehabilitation in general. And then you know, what they can do to help these animals that are suffering in different ways out in the wild.

Alex Re

Yeah, that's really important. And you guys are doing really great work. You obviously you probably work with a lot of pelicans on a daily basis. So what do you feed them? And what do they usually eat in the wild? And is it different?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so pelicans are predominantly fish eaters. So they eat different small schools of fish out in the wilds. We feed a two kinds in particular with red herring and Caitlin, to our pelicans and rehab here. So they might occasionally eat other things like lizards or small birds, but they're really just fish eaters.

Alex Re

Oh, cool. And how do they catch their prey because fish don't just sit there and wait for them to be eaten.

Yaritza Acosta

Um, so pelicans actually hunt. So they there's actually brown pelicans are one of two species that actually will plunge

Alex Re

dive for their fish. plunge diving is a technique used by some pelicans and other seabirds, where they dive headfirst into the water in order to quickly pounce on their prey. You Ritson was telling me that they turn their heads in a certain way, which protects their esophagus from the impact of the water.

Yaritza Acosta

And so they come up with the fish and a bunch of water, they drain the water out, and the fishes just left and then they swallowed that hole. So the brown Pelican and the Peruvian Pelican do this. And then other species of Pelican actually will just kind of swim together in a herd and they'll herd fish into one area and they all just kind of snap at the water. He's trying to get a fish, so they do that way. That's really cool. And if if anybody's ever seen the pelicans doing the dive into the water, it's one of the coolest things you'll you'll get to see.

Alex Re

So going off of that, pelicans are pretty well known for the pouch that they have underneath their bill. So what do they use this for?

Yaritza Acosta

Yes, so like I said, when they're hunting, they will get a lot of water when they come up with the fish. So that helps can hold about one to two gallons of water. And they'll open their mouth just lightly so the water drains out in the fishes leftover and they'll swallow the fish hole. So that's one of the main purposes is while they're hunting, but you also see them thermo regulating with the pouch. So you might see a pelican with the pouch kind of like fluttering back and forth. So that's kind of, I guess, the equivalent of like a dog panting is them trying to cool down? Really that's,

Alex Re

that's insane. And I'm assuming that they probably don't sweat other than using their, their flap to to release heat. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And do they have any other cool adaptations that they use for survival?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so um, pelicans also have these kind of slits on the top of their beak. And a lot of people think that that's their nose. But they actually can't breathe out of these slits, they're too small. So what it's used for is to help drain excess salt out of the bloodstream. So they're in the water, they're in the ocean, they're taking in water, they're swimming in it. So any salt in their system that they don't need, will go through this process, and you'll kind of see it drained out of these little nostrils there. But other than that, they don't breathe through it. So pelicans are mouth breathers. So they need their bill, you know, cracked open when you're holding them so they can breathe. But yeah, the soul clan kind of drainage is a cool adaptation. Yeah, that

Alex Re

is really cool. And I think a few other, like seabirds also have this. Like, I just did an episode on penguins. And I'm pretty sure they have something similar to that as well. Yeah, exactly. Because you don't want saltwater getting in your mouth while you're hunting for food.

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, that's no good. Another thing I guess is a lot of people think Pelican says because they're big that they're heavy birds, but they're actually mostly air sex. So they have a lot of air sacs on their stomach and around their body. And it helps them be buoyant on the water, and also helps them be lighter as they're flying.

Alex Re

Remember how we were talking about how pelicans dive into the water for food, while the air sacs will actually inflate just before they hit the water as an extra mode of protection? So you talked a little bit about how they can kind of hunt for their prey in in groups. So could you talk a little bit more about like, if they're more social animals? Because a lot of birds are social?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah. Yeah, pelicans are very social. They're usually are flying together, you'll see them in that kind of iconic V, or like w formation, they do roost together at night. During nesting season, they all will build their nest close to each other. Even though they still will fight with each other. Sometimes, though, they like to be close. You will see lone pelicans flying here and there hanging out. But a lot of times you will see them together. And in rehab, they do find together with other birds, we usually like to keep them in groups. That way they kind of are playing with the other birds kind of feel better when they're around their own kind. And they tend to just kind of heal better and faster that way. So definitely social. Yeah. Well, that's

Alex Re

great. And are there ways that they communicate with each other?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so pelicans don't have any kind of real vocal cords, like other singing kind of birds. So they can do kind of like a hiss or raspy sound, but a lot of their communicating is through body language. So they do a lot of wing flapping body swaying. Babies, when they're begging for food, they're flapping their wings frantically, they're snapping at the mom's mouth. If they feel threatened, they'll sway their head and snap at you. It's a lot of body language for sure. That's really cool.

Alex Re

So how are they important to the ecosystems that they live in. So pelicans are considered like an indicator species, indicator species or species that can tell scientists if they're looking at a healthy ecosystem. If an indicator species is doing well in an ecosystem, that usually means that that ecosystem is doing well too. If they're dying out, then you know you've got a problem.

Yaritza Acosta

Because they feed predominantly on fish. If there were something to go wrong in the fish population where they're living, they would definitely feel the impacts of them. And you might find them starving or dying, their population is decreasing. So that's a good indicator that something's going wrong in the waters where they're at in the ecosystem. And so a lot of times you might want to look into that and see, you know, Why are there no fish? Why are the pelicans dying? So they're good at looking at ecosystems that way to kind of see how healthy the area is. Okay, so

Alex Re

if you see some pelicans then you know that the ecosystem is kind of doing pretty well.

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah. Exactly, you see them, you know hunting a lot in the bay or in a lake where you're at. And you know that that's a good a good area. Absolutely.

Alex Re

And you talked a little bit about how if there's not a lot of fish, they could face some problems. So what what are some of the problems that pelicans are facing right now?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, so a lot of hook and line related problems are what we see. So they are swimming and hunting in these waters. And there might be fishing line or hope, or hopes, fly are floating around in the water, they can get entangled. Sometimes these fishing lures are shaped like fish, and so to a pelican that just looks like a fish. And they might try to eat it, and then they will get caught in their palates or their thrones and cause issues there. So a lot of the fishing line and hook related things we see also habitat destruction. These birds like to roost and nest on mango trees and islands, in the bay or in the ocean. And you know, when we start seeing those things disappear, then there's nowhere for them to nest or roost. And then they try to find other places. And then they can end up in places where they're not normally seen and can get into trouble and cause issues that way. So those are some challenges. And we usually will educate people on properly just throwing away a fishing line and hooks, not feeding them. That's another big thing is these birds will hang around marinas and beaches where people are fishing. And people like to throw them scraps. But then the bird will get used to that. And then they'll hang around in these dangerous areas, and then also get into trouble. So those are some of the things that they're dealing with.

Alex Re

Yeah, absolutely. And some of those things you'd never really think about, like, you think, oh, if I feed this bird, maybe I'm doing it a favor, but you're actually hurting it more than you're helping it because fish for for its life. Yeah, yeah. And what are some of the things that are causing that habitat destruction near their, where they nest,

Yaritza Acosta

um, it could be a variety of things, you know, environmental changes can cause a lot of these islands to lose their plant life. And so trees aren't growing, or the waters around them are polluted. And so these islands are the dirts being polluted, and then things won't grow. Or in certain areas, if we get rid of a lot of islands to make other things, roads or, or buildings or things like that, then those animals are losing their habitat there. So those are kind of the main things.

Alex Re

Definitely. So one could say that humans are causing a lot of the issues surrounding pelicans and definitely a lot of other animals as well. So yeah, yeah. And is there anything that we can do, like the average person can do to help pelicans?

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, definitely, just definitely be mindful of, if you're out fishing, to properly dispose of old fishing line and fishing hooks and not leave them lying around. So they end up in the water, if you are throwing back fish that you caught to make sure to remove any hooks or line that are in them or on them, or even just properly throwing away trash, so that doesn't end up in the waterways, and these birds don't get entangled in them. And also, you know, if you find injured animals, I'm definitely to call your local wildlife rehabilitator or your Fish and Wildlife Service because they usually have a list of wildlife facilities in each state. And then you can you know, communicate with them and you know, maybe you might have to try to catch the animals sometimes they can come out so just kind of being mindful of your everyday activities and properly throwing away things. And then contacting you know, while they're food tears if you do find an injured animal, for sure.

Alex Re

Yeah, that's, that's great. And it's so easy to do these things and and you might not even know that you're making a difference. But if you're properly disposing of these things, you are and you're helping wildlife without even knowing it, which is great. So before you go, where can we find information about the Pelican harbor seabird station?

Yaritza Acosta

Yes, you can definitely visit our website, it's Pelican harbor.org or follow us on social media. It's at Siebert station. So we're on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and we do post on YouTube also. So you can follow us there. We usually are posting education materials or upcoming online events, or special release videos or things like that. You can follow us in those areas. And if you're in the Miami area, you can definitely you know, once everything goes by with COVID will be open to the public again and you can come by for tours and meet our ambassador animals and things like that.

Alex Re

Yeah, I don't know anybody who wouldn't want to see a pelican upclose Yeah, they're, they're amazing to see. And other you have other animals as well.

Yaritza Acosta

Yeah, we do have an ambassador screech owl and Ambassador great horned owl, un ambassador possum so all these animals are deemed non releasable for various reasons. And so they're used for education programs, um, you know, on site or off site. So yeah,

Alex Re

that's so awesome. Well, you're, it's a thank you so much for coming on. Everybody should absolutely go check out the Pelican harbor seabird station. And thanks again. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Wow, I'm so glad I got to talk with your itsa. pelicans are so cool and so important to the ecosystems that they live in. They definitely have some challenges, which is why it's vital to support organizations like the Pelican harbor seabird station, other organizations that you can support that are doing great work to help pelicans or the international bird rescue and the National Audubon Society. Thank you so much for coming on this adventure with me as we explored the world of pelicans. You can find the sources that we use for this podcast, and links to organizations that we reference at on wildlife.org. You can also email us with any questions at on wildlife dot podcast@gmail.com. Don't forget to tune in next Wednesday for another awesome episode. And that's on wildlife.

Jess Avellino

You've been listening to on wildlife with Alex Re brought to you every Wednesday.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai