Traveling Speed of White Pelicans
Journal
Condor
Volume
35
Issue
2 (March-April)
Year
1933
Pages
70
Section
From Field and Study
Online Text
Traveling Speed of White Pelicans
On the late afternoon of November 14, 1932, I was able to take the steady flying speed of a large flock of White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) numbering approximately 120 individuals. The flock followed York Boulevard in the Highland Park district of Los Angeles from Glassell Boulevard to and across the Arroyo Seco, a distance of 3.5 miles. Owing to traffic signals it was impossible to maintain vehicular speed identical with that of the pelicans for other than short distances. After numerous attempts to stay with the fowl, it was apparent they were making a little better than 30 miles per hour, or more precisely, 31 miles per hour with an error of plus or minus one.
Roland Case Ross
Los Angeles City Schools, Los Angeles, California, December 7, 1932
