Fighting Pelicans

[RogerCook]

This is an old shot I recently stumbled across technically not good but interesting as this is the only time I've seen this behavior. When I first seen them they were locked up and far away, it lasted about 4-5 minutes and the looser flew away apparently unharmed.

[FrankMi]

Make you wonder what they were arguing about? Perhaps they were mates and the male is discovering that telling the female to calm down works about as well as baptizing a cat?

[Wavelength]

Nice image; beautiful color of sea...why i can't see the baggy beak of the near pelican ?

[RogerCook]

Nice image; beautiful color of sea...why i can't see the baggy beak of the near pelican ?

It's being blocked by the pelicans neck and body that he is biting.

[Brownbear]

I'm with Frank in that I think they were a couple of love birds arguing about something.

However, I think it is far more likely that the argument ensued after the female advised the male that it was getting dark and she didn't think they had enough time to read the manual/book on "effective and efficient fishing methods" before catching dinner.

PS Kidding aside, I think it was likely two male pelicans fighting over a female. They are wearing breeding colours