White pelicans in a feeding frenzy

[KSC-99PP-0248]


  • Photo Number: KSC-99PP-0248

  • Release Date: 26-Feb-1999

  • Description: White pelicans are joined by a few egrets at a feeding frenzy in the waters of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which shares a boundary with Kennedy Space Center. Pelicans in flight display their black wing tips, which are hidden when folded. The habitat of white pelicans are marshy lakes along the Pacific and Texas coasts, wintering chiefly in coastal lagoons such as this one. They often capture fish cooperatively, forming a long line, beating their wings and driving the prey into shallow water. The 92,000-acre refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge also provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds.

    Resolution Format Width
    (Pixels)
    Height
    (Pixels)
    Size
    (Bytes)
    Thumbnail GIF 100 68 10373
    Slide GIF 172 150 37188
    Low GIF 320 218 99365
    Medium JPEG 1024 698 190565
    High JPEG 2617 1784 2022858

    Point of Contact

    Name: NASA Kennedy Space Center

    Address:

    KSC Public Affairs Office
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    John F. Kennedy Space Center
    Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899
    

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    Photos By: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Scanned By: NASA/KSC Public Affairs Office
    Captions: Information Dynamics, Inc.
    Curator: NASA/KSC Internet Systems Lab (Dumoulin, Downs, Paladino)
    Last Updated: Thursday September 02 20:52:03 EDT 1999 (Anita Barrett)

    A service of NASA/Kennedy Space Center Public Affairs Office