Pelicans are a
genus of large
water birds that makes up the
family Pelecanidae. They are characterised by a long
beak and a large
throat pouch used for catching
prey and draining water from the scooped up contents before swallowing. They have predominantly pale plumage, the exceptions being the
brown and
Peruvian pelicans. The bills, pouches and bare facial skin of all species become brightly coloured before the breeding season. The eight living pelican species have a patchy global distribution, ranging
latitudinally from the
tropics to the
temperate zone, though they are absent from interior South America as well as from
polar regions and the open ocean.
