Gene Jarvis: White Pelican

Artist: Gene Jarvis
1921 - 1990
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1979
Image Size: 9.5 by 9 inches
Overall Size: 12.75 by 12.5 inches
Medium: Pen and Ink on Hot Press Illustration Board

A large mouth pouch, curved neck, and short legs give the Pelican a clumsy, awkward appearance. However, because his bones and skin contain air, he is actually a rather light bird that glides easily through the sky. His flight is elegant and it often soars, then casually beats its great wings to remain airborne. They often form long, diagonal lines and travel in large flocks in their journeys. Though they seem perfectly at home in the sky, the Pelicans are actually waterbirds with a diet consisting exclusively of fish which are scooped up in their large bills. In their food gathering, the pelicans are very sociable birds. After herding a shoal of fish into shallow water, in unison they plunge their heads under water and scoop up their catch in large, pouched mouths. When not hunting food, the birds float gracefully on water, carrying their wings slightly raised since they have no wing pockets where they can rest these appendages. Their long bills rest on their large, curving necks. Nesting is also a group activity and is done in large colonies of up to several thousand birds. In Africa, these birds breed on an artificial guano platform or in the Orange River estuary. The eggs hatch after a thirty to forty-two day incubation period and in four months they will be independent, adult birds. The Pelican has been around for a very long time, in fact, scientists have discovered Pelican fossils dating back thirty million years that are strikingly similar to modern Pelicans.

This artwork was originally published on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover for the South-west Africa 25¢ White Pelican stamp issued May 4, 1979.

Artwork Copyright © 1979 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB05275

US$ Price: Reg. $950.00 Today $475.00

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