Pelicans and Their Relatives

The order Pelecaniformes includes pelicans, cormorants, and several tropical waterbird families. Members of this order are unique in having all four toes joined by webbing, although this webbing is nearly lacking in the frigatebirds, which are primarily aerial.

Feeding adaptations within this order are diverse. Pelicans use their long pouched bills to scoop fish and other prey from shallow lakes or marshes, and the Brown Pelican, a marine bird of the American coasts, plunges into the water to capture prey. This plunge-diving is further developed in the family of boobies and gannets, marine birds that may plunge from great heights to capture fish and squid.

Cormorants are birds of both fresh and saltwater. They pursue fish under water, propelled by strong fully webbed feet. The cormorant family is easily the largest in the order. Closely related to cormorants are anhingas, sometimes called darters, snake-birds, or water-turkeys. These freshwater birds resemble slender cormorants, but the hooked cormorant beak is replaced by a dagger-like beak -- an effective weapon for spearing fish.