Pelecanuse erythrorhynchos

Spring and summer are a busy time, particularly for birds that are migrants. As soon as they arrive on their breeding grounds, they must establish pair bonds and begin nest building and rearing young.

The largest among these returning migrants in Utah is the American white pelican, with a wing span of 114 inches. Only the condor is as big. These are the largest of all the birds that traverse the skies in North America. Huge wings make the American white pelican a superb glider.

In northern Utah, the pelicans have a nesting colony on Gunnison Island in the Great Salt Lake. It is an ideal location for the pelican's chicks, since ground predators such as the coyote, skunk and badger cannot reach the island.

The adults fly inland to freshwater ponds (like those at the Utah State University Botanical Gardens in Kaysville), lakes and state waterfowl management areas like Farmington Bay to feed.

The American white pelican has a cooperative feeding style. Unlike their coastal cousin the brown pelican, which dives individually into the water from on high to catch fish, white pelicans swim in a group, herding fish with their webbed feet, corralling them into tight circles. They then dip in unison while opening their mandible, exposing the large gaping pouch to snare the fish.

The Great Salt Lake colony of American white pelicans is one of the three largest in the country. As their name implies, they are predominantly white with black-tipped wings.

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Bill Fenimore is owner of the Layton Wild Bird Center (www.wildbird.com/layton). He will lead a free bird walk on Antelope Island July19. Meet at the Antelope Island Visitors Center at 8:30 a.m.