If you have been down to the Diversion Channel in the last few weeks, you may have seen an unusual sight. Thousands of large white birds are resting and feeding in shallow flooded areas created by Mississippi River backwaters. This bird is the white pelican. The white pelican migrates through the Missouri every year, but this year the flocks are concentrated in a highly visible location which makes for good viewing.

The pelican is a very large bird which can have up to a nine foot wingspan. For comparison, eagles have about a 7.5 foot wing span. The pelican has a long orange beak, and when in breeding plumage, there is a fibrous disk which grows on the upper mandible (of the beak). The bird has bright orange webbed feet and black feathers at its wing tips. The black feathers are mostly hidden when the bird is resting or swimming in the water. There is a related species, the brown pelican, but this bird is found only in coastal areas.

White pelicans winter along the Gulf Coast and the Pacific Coast of North America. Their migration in the spring takes them to nesting sites at inland lakes, marshes and ponds over much of Montana, North Dakota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and in parts of states and provinces adjacent to those listed. They nest in colonies, primarily on islands, laying two dull white eggs.

The eggs take about one month to hatch and then it takes another three to four weeks for the young to fledge. It may be four to five more weeks after fledging when the young can actually fly, at which time they will form groups called pods.

These birds not only migrate in flocks and nest in large groups, they also feed in large groups. They can line up and herd fish into a trap by thrashing the water with their beaks. Fish make up the primary part of the diet of the white pelican. They eat chubs, catfish, shiners, suckers and carp.

The type of habitat created by the Mississippi backwaters adjacent to the Diversion Channel is important migratory bird habitat. Shallow waters such as these are full of insects, as well as seeds from flooded plants. Many fish can be found in shallow flooded areas along rivers, as both the pelicans and the people fishing there know. The fish feed in these waters and at certain times of the year these are also important fish spawning areas.

The white pelican is not the only bird to take advantage of these feeding opportunities. Last week there were also blue-winged teal, cormorants and lesser yellowlegs feeding in the backwaters. So what you think may be just a flooded area, may be a life source and temporary home for thousands of creatures.

There are many places in the lowlands of the bootheel that flood in the spring including backwaters and agricultural fields. These are very important areas for migrating waterfowl to feed in. This type of shallow water habitat found in flooded fields in the lowlands is used by shorebirds such as pipers and plovers and for ducks as well.

Conservation of migratory birds is a difficult task because they must have protected habitat in several places. These birds must have a place to winter in. Sufficient habitat along their migratory route is critical. If habitat along the migratory route is missing, the birds may die along the route and never reach their breeding grounds. And finally, they need a place where they can safely and successfully nest and raise young. If we don't recognize the needs of these birds to survive and if we don't intentionally protect areas for them to use as their homes, many of them will eventually be lost.

Our world would be a poorer place without the white pelican and the many beautiful birds that migrate through or live in Missouri.

If you'd like to view the white pelicans, you can go to the Headwaters Diversion Access located near the Dutchtown exit off of Interstate 55 or go to where Highway 25 crosses the Diversion Channel. Take some binoculars and sit awhile. It's quite a sight.

Janeen Laatsch is a natural history regional biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.