Video: Pelican Swallows Pigeon Whole

   04.13.15

Video: Pelican Swallows Pigeon Whole

Contrary to popular belief, pelicans eat more than just fish. Although the bird’s distinctive throat pouch is most often seen stuffed with fish, pelicans enjoy other seafood such as turtles, crustaceans, and, occasionally, even other birds. Although it is rare, pelicans near semi-urban areas have been known to scoop up the occasional pigeon.

Catching a pigeon is easy, but actually swallowing one is hard. As you can see in the below video, pelicans are not well-equipped to eat struggling pigeons. This is why some of the long-billed predators have developed an interesting tactic—they will ferry their meal to the water and attempt to drown the pigeon by dunking it under water.

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