Pelicans are highly distinctive and attractive birds. Their huge beaks and gular sacks are trademarks that make these birds easily recognized. The brown pelican is found along the coasts of tropical North and South America. In the Galapagos Islands, brown pelicans are represented by a resident endemic subspecies (Pelecanus occidentalis urinator). This subspecies nests exclusively in the archipelago.
Even though brown pelicans are widespread around the islands, not much is known about their breeding cycle. Brown pelicans breed throughout the year. The female pelican lays two to three bluish eggs in a nest made with small branches. It takes around 30 days for both parents to incubate the eggs. The young are at first naked, the white beautiful down appears only after eight to fourteen days. Chicks remain with their parents for about 70 days. In all this period the baby pelicans depend totally on their parents. The babies are fed and cleaned by their parents with refined care. Finally they have to fledge and look out for themselves. There are many tales and legends that refer to pelicans and their strange appearance. They were known as domestic birds in Egypt, as helpers with fishing in India, and as reputed helpers in the building of the Kaaba in Mecca by the Muslims.
Today in the afternoon these magnificent birds and their curious chicks were the delight of our guests. With today's picture I want to render a tribute to their well-earned reputation as a symbol of maternal love. According to an old legend in early Christianity, pelicans have the ability to tear open their own breast to keep their babies alive. This legend is probably based on the fact that in one of the seventeen species of pelicans, the Dalmatian (Pelecanus crispus) the reddish spot over the crop and the gular pouch looks like a wound. Last Sunday we celebrated Mothers' Day. What a beautiful example we witnessed in our Galapagos wildlife of what mothers represent to all of us!
