Pelicans: Pelecanidae

There is nothing ordinary about pelicans. The enormous pouches under their long, hooked bills make them easy to recognize. In fact, the Australian pelican may have the longest bill of any bird. Pelicans are also among the heaviest flying birds in the world. They weigh as much as 33 pounds (15 kilograms), and their length is between 41 and 74 inches (105 and 188 centimeters) from the tip of their bills to the end of their tails. They also have long necks and webbed feet. Except for the brown pelican, most of the birds in the pelican family have white or light gray feathers with black wingtips.