Differences between Pelican and Stork

Pelican and Stork are two classes of birds that belong to the Pelecanidae and Ciconiidae families respectively.

A symbol of wisdom, Pelican is a water bird with broad wings and a long neck. It is characterised by its unique bill, which has a gular pouch near the neck. The bird uses the pouch to scoop up its feed. A Pelican also has wide wings, short tail, and short legs. Its family consists of eight species, which can be either white or brown in appearance.

Stork is a large wading bird with long legs and long beak. Its beak and legs are usually red in color, while its eyes are grey. The color of its body could be streaks of white, black, and red depending on the geography. The bird’s head and upper neck are usually not covered with feathers. The Stork is almost mute as it has an undeveloped syrinx. The Stork family consists of about 20 species of birds such as Marabou Stork and Adjutant Stork. The family is related to Herons, Ibises, and Flamingos.

Where are Pelican and Stork found?

Pelicans are generally found near rivers, lakes, and coastlines. While the American White Pelicans prefer freshwater, the Brown Pelicans live near the coasts. Although native to Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts, Pelicans are lately found across the world, apart from Antarctica.

Storks choose to live near marshes, grasslands, meadows, rivers, ponds, and lakes. They are not prevalent across the world. They exist chiefly in Asia, Africa, and Europe. One bird from their species can be found in Australia, while three others occur around Argentina and Florida.

What do Pelican and Stork eat?

Pelicans are chiefly carnivores and fish is their staple food. The Brown Pelicans dive into water to catch their prey. However, other species make formations to force groups of fish into shallow waters so that they can be scooped up with their bill. Pelicans also eat other animals like turtles, shrimps, crustaceans, lobsters, crabs, lizards, and frogs. They have also been seen eating smaller birds.

Storks are carnivores that mainly eat fish. They also feed on reptiles, insects, amphibians, mice, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and even small alligators. They generally capture their prey in fields and shallow waters.

Here are a few pointers about the eating patterns between Pelican and Stork

• Both Pelican and Stork eat Fish.
• Both Pelican and Stork eat Frogs.
• Both Pelican and Stork eat Lizards.
• Both Pelican and Stork eat Snakes.
• Both Pelican and Stork eat Turtles.
• Both Pelican and Stork eat Squirrels.
• Pelican do not eat Gophers while Stork eat Gophers.
• Baby Ducks are consumed by both Pelicanand Stork.
• Mice are eaten by both Pelican and Stork.

Size of Pelican and Stork?

When it comes to size, Pelicans are large birds. They are generally 4.1-4.3 feet tall with a wingspan of 9-10 feet.. Storks are huge birds. They are about two to five feet tall with wide wings that measure over 10 feet. The biggest storks in the world are the Shoebill and Marabou that stand five feet tall.

The average weight of Pelicans is 22-26 pounds. The male birds are larger and weigh more than the females. Dalmatian Pelicans are the largest among all species. They weigh about 30 pounds. while Average weight of Storks is 3-17 pounds depending on the species. Marabou is the largest species and weighs around 17 pounds.

Where do Pelican and Stork nest?

The nesting habit of Pelicans depend on the species and geography. Nests could be constructed on sand, soil, or depressions on flat sites. The birds use grass, feathers, and sticks to pack the nests. In the wild, Pelicans build their nests beneath trees and shrubs. In places like Florida, they are also observed to build nests on mango trees. The birds lay up to four bluish white eggs at a time and hatch them for a month. They incubate the eggs using their feet. The young ones fledge when they are around 10 weeks old although they leave the nest to join the group when they are 17-28 days old.

Storks build their nests on trees and shrubs that stand in flooded water. They do so to keep predators away from eating the eggs. Both male and female birds participate in the construction of the nest, besides sharing the responsibility to incubate them for about five weeks, after which the eggs hatch. Baby Storks usually fledge 50-65 days after hatching. An interesting fact about parenting in Storks is that the parents sometimes throw some chicks out of the nests so that they can feed the healthy chicks well and support their survival.

How long do Pelican and Stork live?

Pelicans can live for 15-25 years in the wild. The oldest living Pelican as in 2022 is 62 years old and lives at the Wellington Zoo, Australia.

Storks can live for over 30 years in the wild. They have been known to live up to 35 years in captivity. The longest living species was a White Stork that lived for 39 years in Switzerland.

Are Pelican or Stork migratory birds?

Pelicans prefer warmer climates. Therefore, in winters they migrate from northern Europe and North America. However, Pelicans living in warmer regions of Asia and Africa rarely migrate or only travel small distances.

Storks migrate during winters to warmer regions as they cannot find food in colder weather. They are known to migrate long distances, for instance from Europe to Africa, sub-Saharan region to South Africa or India. They mostly migrate in huge groups.

Do Pelican and Stork fly in flocks?

A flock of Pelicans is called a squadron, scoop, or pod. Pelicans are sociable birds that live and migrate in groups. The American White Pelicans also work together to capture fish. Pelicans are also known to breed in groups and build their nests in colonies.

A group of Storks is known as a muster of Storks or a phalanx of Storks. These birds are highly sociable. They stay together and migrate in massive flocks that can even encompass a thousand birds. However, during the breeding season they prefer smaller groups or solitude.

Are Pelican or Stork protected?

The White and Brown Pelicans are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and other conservation laws in the USA. Endangered species are protected in European countries like Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece and parts of Asia.

Storks are a protected species in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Conservation laws like the African Conservation Action Plan and the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement have come up in response to concerns of the International Union for Conservation of Nature that the Black Storks are not protected satisfactorily.

Are Pelican or Stork endangered?

Not all species of Pelicans are endangered. Brown Pelicans were on the verge of extinction in the USA due to exposure to pollutants. However, the banning of DDT has helped a thrive in their population since 1985. Brown Pelicans face threat in the Gulf coast due to the oil spill. Across the world, increased urbanization and destruction of habitat is posing danger to the population of Pelicans. Plastic and other wastes in rivers and seas are causing injuries to the Pelicans’ pouch that is used to scoop up fish and other aquatic animals.

Storks are extant birds. They had become extinct in the UK about 500 years back but emerged back in the 1970s. They have however become extinct in Japan, Korea, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. The Adjutant Stork is endangered in India and Cambodia, and the Painted Stork is critically endangered in parts of Asia. Very few Storks are also left in Italy due to widespread poaching.

Can Pelican and Stork fly?

Pelicans are brilliant flyers. With their broad wings and the help of thermals, they can reach an altitude of 10,000 feet or more. They fly in groups through U and V formations to travel long distances. During migration, they travel 61-101 miles a day. The Great White Pelican is known to travel long distances and over massive seas for several days at a stretch.

Storks fly with their neck and legs stretched out. They flap and soar with their broad wings, using thermal air currents. They can reach altitudes of 1,500 metres above sea level and touch speeds of over 110 miles per hour. During migration, they fly nearly 4,400 miles.

Can Pelican and Stork swim?

Pelicans are water birds. They have webbed feet and are splendid swimmers. Some Pelican species even swim underwater to capture their prey.

Storks are not swimmers. They do not prefer deep waters and usually choose shallow waters for their habitat.

Mating patterns among Pelican and Stork

Pelicans start mating when they are three to five years old. Adult Pelicans grow a horn on tip of the bill besides gaining colorful plumage every breeding season. They usually breed in large colonies and in small islands where there is no fear of predators. The male bird protects the nest site for about three weeks before courtship. The bird also engages with other males in chasing the female. The breeding ground for North American White Pelicans are lake islands in north-central and western parts of North America. Similarly, Brown Pelicans breed at the tropical and subtropical coasts of Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Storks start breeding when they are about four years old. The male bird is the first one to arrive at the nesting site. He initiates by building a nest or revamping an existing one and ducking on it. The male and female engage in elaborate mating dances. They raise a single brood each year, which consists of two to five eggs.

When is the mating season for Pelican and Stork ?

The breeding season depends on the species and the location of the Pelican birds. North American White Pelicans breed during April-June, while the Australian Pelicans breed from winter until the beginning of spring. Brown Pelicans usually breed during March-April.

The breeding season for Storks is generally the spring. This is usually from the start of February till the end of April.

Do Pelican and Stork mate for life?

Pelicans are monogamous only during the particular breeding season. They change partners every season.

Storks are known to be monogamous and faithful to their partners during every breeding season and even for a few years. They may find new partners during migrations or in consecutive breeding seasons. In case of monogamous partners, they generally revisit their nesting site and use the same nests with little restoration.

How do Pelican and Stork sleep?

Pelicans roost in groups to stay safe from predators and preserve body heat during winters. They usually sleep while standing on both legs or by lying on their bellies.

Storks roost in colonies. They sleep on trees and shrubs surrounded by water. Some storks even sleep standing on one leg in water.

Can Pelican and Stork be eaten?

In general, Pelicans are not eaten by humans. The birds have an oily and unpleasant flavor that make them uneatable. However, there have been instances in the past when American White Pelicans had been roasted, boiled, and eaten. Africans are also known to consume Pelicans by marinating them with salt for a few days.

Storks are edible and some people do eat them. However, the bird is protected, and it is illegal to kill them for food.

Can you hunt Pelican or Stork?

Pelicans are not victims to largescale hunting. Several countries have conservation laws to prevent hunting. Nevertheless, the US Fish and Wildlife Service allows licensed hunting during the Pelican breeding season.

Thousands of White Storks lose their lives every year due to illegal hunting for sport, especially in Lebanon and Italy. The birds are also shot for their meat. All this is despite existence of laws to protect the bird.

Can you feed Pelican or Stork?

Feeding wild animals and birds in public places is not permitted in places like USA, Singapore, and Dubai. In captivity, Pelicans are fed fish, shrimps, and crabs.

Feeding wild animals and birds in public places is not permitted in places like USA, Singapore, and Dubai. Storks are huge birds and need to be fed a lot of food. In captivity, these birds are fed with fish, frogs, small birds, earthworms, lizards, and meat.