18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Pelican High Life

This American White Pelican (????????? ???????????????) swam around for hours looking for food. He kept dipping his bill in the water and 90% of the time he came back up with trash. Most of the time he was able to spit it back up, but many times he swallowed it. In fact, the primary threat to pelicans' survival is plastic trash. Their stomachs can become so filled with plastic garbage that they die from starvation.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 07.2020
Date Uploaded: 07.2020
Photo Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America
Copyright: © Jeremy Burnham