THE GREY PELICAN

The spotted-billed or grey pelican is the commonest Indian species of pelican. It is a large, heavily built water bird found throughout India, Sri Lanka and Burma in all the better-watered areas and occurs as a permanent resident bird or a local migrant in many parts of South India. They feed almost exclusively on fish, which they catch by swimming collectively in a semi circle, driving the fish into shallow water and scooping them up in their large pouch, which serves as a net. They breed in large colonies from November to April, nesting on tall trees.