Pelican vs. Pigeon

This post is a bit more 'wild kingdom' than I usually do, but, hey, sometimes nature gets ugly.

James in the UK sent me this article, which tells the story of an Eastern White pelican that decided to defy pelican tradition and dine on a fellow bird. Pelicans, as a rule, only eat fish. But this particular pelican scooted down the towpath at St. Jame's park to scoop up an unsuspecting pigeon (sometimes known as 'rats with wings'). The episode was caught on film and video, and took twenty minutes to conclude. In the end, the pelican had a pigeon meal, though the pigeon was "kicking and flapping the whole way down."

According to the article, Pelicans were introduced to the park during the reign of Charles II, as a gift from the Russian ambassador. I'm sure the pigeons are thrilled that Russian ambassadors are so generous.

I've done posts on ugly pelicans before, and this just seals the deal. Ugly is as ugly does.

Thanks for the article, James.

Photo courtesy: BBC