Pelicans (Pelecanidae) on the beach, Cumberland Island National Seashore, 2015.

Pelicans are a genus of large water birds with the characteristic long beaks and large throat pouches. These gregarious birds travel in flocks, hunt cooperatively and breed colonially. Interestingly, the four white-plumaged species tend to nest on the ground while the four brown/gray-plumed species nest mainly in trees.