Wounded pelican that couldn’t fly gets rescued — in Colorado. Now it’s off to rehab
A wounded pelican that was having trouble flying is on its way to recovery in Colorado.
Wildlife officials recently captured the bird so they could evaluate its injury.
“We love a wildlife rescue story for a feel-good Friday,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said in an April 28 post on Twitter. “Check out this injured white pelican we got a report of from Ohio City this week.”
Officials evaluated the pelican and decided it would be best to send the bird off for rehabilitation.
You might think it sounds odd to hear of a pelican — iconic to the coastal U.S. — in a state that’s so dry and so far away from the ocean.
Most people probably think the same, but it’s probably the brown pelicans of the Gulf Coast they’re thinking of, according to Colorado Birding Trail.
But it actually isn’t that uncommon to see the brown pelican’s snow-white cousin, according to John Livingston, spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Southwest region.
“American white pelicans can be found in Colorado either during migration patterns or even for breeding,” Livingston told McClatchy News in an email. “They can be found on large freshwater lakes or sometimes even in shallow wetlands.”
They come to Colorado while migrating in the spring and to breed, he said.
“In the wintertime, they’ll be found on the coastlines, but they will come further inland at other times of year,” he said.
Their presence makes for new opportunities for birders and other wildlife enthusiasts.
“We see good numbers of them in the spring across our state parks, making for a unique wildlife viewing opportunity for visitors,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch them fish in the lakes.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Wounded pelican that couldn’t fly gets rescued — in Colorado. Now it’s off to rehab."
