It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a …. bird.
American white pelicans often get mistaken for UFOs. The swirl of their flocks is somewhat otherworldly, in part because they don’t flap their wings as they ride updrafts as a group.
They don’t need to flap all that often because of their 9-foot wingspans. That’s the largest wingspan of any bird in Oregon.
They’re also mostly white with black-tipped wings and orange bills.
Pelicans live up and down the west coast. The white pelicans live inland while the brown pelicans favor the coast.
But you can expect to see more of them in Portland. “Pelican numbers seem to be increasing in the Portland area, and due to climate change, they're staying later and later into the fall, with a few even overwintering at Sauvie Island last year,” according to the nonprofit group Portland Audubon.
If you need a good laugh, listen to their song. (Even I can sing better than that.)
