Pelicans are most commonly associated with the ocean. Finding a whole flock of them in Arizona was a novelty but not entirely unknown. This is an American White Pelican or Pelecanus erythrohynchos. Here is an interesting fact about pelicans:
The pelican can hold up to 3 gallons of water in its expandable throat sac. If a fish is caught in the pouch with the water, the pelican will tilt the bill downward to drain the water out so they can swallow just the fish. See "American white pelican/Rough-billed Pelican"This photo was taken in January at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, one of my favorite places.
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