Pelicans are large birds and belong to a group of birds called
waterbirds. They can be found on coastal and inland waterways.
There are more that six different types of pelicans. The Australian
pelican is the type of pelican we will be focusing on. Here is a
picture of an Australian pelican.
Slide 4
The Australian Pelican is the largest of all of the pelicans.
Pelicans are social birds and spend their time in groups. They work
together to herd and catch fish. Groups of pelicans are called
pods, squadrons or scoops.
Slide 5
The best-known feature of pelicans is their very long bill and
famously massive throat pouch. The bill is 40 - 50 cm long and is
larger in males than females. Australian Pelicans have the longest
beaks of any bird in the world. The large, stretchy pouch is where
the pelican can catch fish and other things to eat. Pelican parents
catch food in their pouch to share with their babies.
Slide 6
Pelicans dont store fish in their bills for very long they use
them more to collect the fish and they swallow them nearly straight
away. They can hold up to 13 litres of water in their bills. The
long hook on the end of the pelicans beak helps it to hang on to
slippery food. Pelicans plunge their bills into the water, using
their flexible pouch as a net.
Slide 7
Pelicans eat a variety of different foods, such as: Fish
Crustaceans Turtles Shrimp Tadpoles Frogs
Slide 8
Pelicans have large wings and a wingspan of 2 2.5 metres wide.
Pelicans have very light skeletons which helps them to fly long
distances. They can cover hundreds of kilometres within a 24 hour
period.
Slide 9
Pelicans move around a lot and will travel long distances in
search of suitable waterways and a good food supply. Pelicans can
live in very large groups of around 40 000 birds. Pelicans often
breed in these large colonies. Baby pelicans spend around 28 days
in their nest. The chicks then form their own little groups of
about 100 pelicans called a crche.
Slide 10
Salt Flats
Slide 11
Salt flats are an amazing part of Australias landscape. The
salt flats in Australia are mainly in the barren desert areas in
the centre of Australia. Most of the time the salt flats (also
sometimes known as salt pans) are dry.
Slide 12
Sometimes the salt flats fill up from rain and thunderstorms.
Some of the salt flats in Australia have only been full twice in
150 years! On the rare occasion these salt flats or inland lakes
become full, it is because of massive flooding in Queensland that
travels over land and fills the lake.
Slide 13
There are different stories about how salt flats came to be but
one of these ideas is that these basins were formed by the ocean
which is why the salt level is so high. As the sun dries out the
water and it evaporates, the salt is left behind. The most
significant salt flat in Australia is named Lake Eyre.
Slide 14
Lake Eyre The Ghost Lake
Slide 15
Lake Eyre is in South Australia. It is about 700 km North of
Adelaide the capital city of South Australia.
Slide 16
Lake Eyre is an incredible feature of the Australian landscape.
Lake Eyre and its catchment are part of an ancient inland sea one
sixth the size of the Australian continent.
Slide 17
Lake Eyre was named in honour of the first European who saw it
his name was John Eyre. In 2012, Lake Eyre was renamed to include
its Indigneous name Kati-thandra. It is now know as Kati-thandra
Lake Eyre. Kati-thandra - Lake Eyre is on the land of the Arabunna
people.
Slide 18
There is an Aboriginal story about how Lake Eyre came to be. It
is a story that has been passed down through many generations. The
story tells of a kangaroo that became frightened when he was chased
by a boy called Wilkuda. The kangaroo took off as fast as it could,
but eventually Wilkuda caught up and killed the kangaroo with a
spear that he had found on the sand. Wilkuda, tired from the chase
decided to have a rest before he cooked the kangaroo. When he woke
up some time later, he noticed that the kangaroo he had caught was
gone. He followed the tracks until he saw on old man cooking the
kangaroo in the distance.
Slide 19
When Wilkuda was chasing the kangaroo, spirits told him that
the animal had a magic skin and would create a lake when it was
placed on the sand. He hurried towards the old man and told him
that he could have the meat, but he must hand back the skin. The
old man gave the skin back to him and he hurried back towards the
east with the skin in his grass bag. Wilkuda was joined by a
strange bird that flew close to him. The little bird told Wilkuda
that he was not to throw the skin over important human tracks and
finally gave him permission to spread the skin over a flat, dry
stretch of desert.
Slide 20
The skin grew larger and larger while water flowed rapidly into
it from some magic source. This is now Kati-thandra (Lake Eyre).
The Arabunna people believe that Wilkuda was turned into stone on
the banks of the lake he made for them. They say he still remains
there today and the rock resembles the boy with his grass bag
containing the skin and his stone spear. Quite close to him is
another rock formation resembling the kangaroo.