TULSA, Okla. — Birds from around the nation are migrating north for the summer, with some making a stop here in Tulsa.
2 News viewers called the station asking about the big white birds they were seeing as they drove down Riverside.
Well, those birds are American White Pelicans.
Every year in the fall, the species flies south as their habitats begin to freeze over in the north.
“They're looking for those fishing opportunities. So as more northern states as their waterways kind of freeze up, they lose their fishing opportunities. So that's why they're making those big movements, those big migrations south,” said the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Communication Specialist Jena Donnell.
WATCH: Why are pelicans in Tulsa?
She said the bird do not nest in Oklahoma, but they do use our waterways as stopping points in their journey. As Oklahoma’s winter climate holds onto some of the southern warmth, a few pelicans call our state their winter vacation home.
But the majority of the birds continue south to the Gulf Coast.
“Most of them go to the Gulf Coast region, Texas, in that area. To spend the winter and then in the springtime they'll come back through that there's a few of them that seem to hang around in the summer and some in the winter as long as there is open water,” said retired ornithologist and member of the Tulsa Audubon Society Jeff Cox.
He said seeing these prehistoric creatures in Oklahoma is truly a breathtaking sight. The Pelicans aren’t strangers to Oklahoma either. At Grand Lake, there’s an annual Pelican Festival in the fall.
Donnell said it’s important as we celebrate pelicans it’s important to talk about their migration patterns.
She showed 2 News a research map created by Cornell University that tracks the migration pattern of the pelicans. She said you can even report bird sightings to help them with their research.
As these birds migrate, the ODWC said to view them from afar and take in their beauty.
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