KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A bird most people usually see while enjoying a beach vacation has been spotted in Knoxville.
A group of white pelicans, known as a pod, was photographed around the Tennessee River over the weekend. Although it might feel odd to see these beachy birds in Knoxville, they could soon become regular guests over the winter months.
David Aborn, a professor of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said that the pod is here because of climate change.
"Well, they've been expanding their winter range over the last 20 years or so," Aborn said. "Now, we regularly see hundreds during the winter and it's likely a result of climate change."
Pelicans usually spend the winter around the Gulf Coast area, but as conditions have warmed, the birds have been spending winters farther north. The pod has likely been on the move for three or four weeks now and is slowly heading back up north, according to Aborn.
White pelicans feed in groups on water surfaces which explains why they were spotted near the Tennesee River banks.
In some pictures of the pod, there are sandpipers nearby. Aborn said they have different migrations, so seeing them together is just coincidental.
The professor encourages people to enjoy the birds passing through.
"If you wanted to see them in the wintertime, you'd have to go down to the Gulf Coast. If you wanted to see them breeding, you'd have to go much farther north or farther out west," Aborn said. "They're very majestic. You know, these big white birds with black wingtips just kind of soaring effortlessly in the air. It's very cool to see."