Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), 1790s

Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), 1790s

TAL & Dai-ichi Life Derby Collection, Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW; Purchased from The Rt Hon. The 19th Earl of Derby, 2011; PXD 1098, vol. 4, f. 92

Watercolour

Australian pelicans have the longest bill of any living bird, with a record size of 50 centimetres.
Australian pelicans can travel long distances, reaching speeds of around 55 kilometres per hour.
Australian pelicans have extremely light skeletons, weighing less than 10% of their total body weight.
During courtship, Australian pelicans perform ‘pouch rippling’. This involves clapping their bill shut several times a second making the attached pouch ripple like a flag to attract a mate.
Australian pelicans are found in large expanses of open water including lakes, rivers and lagoons. They plunge-dive to catch a variety of fish.
Mr Percival, a much-loved pelican, was made famous in Colin Thiele’s 1964 book, Storm Boy.