Characterised by their long beak and large throat poach used for catching prey and draining water, pelicans are already aesthetically peculiar looking birds. But it turns out that watching one yawn is an even stranger visual experience, as an American man discovered after coming face-to-face with one of the birds. Capturing the footage in Santa Barbara, California, Scott Kaiser filmed the back of the large pelican sitting on a post overlooking the water. Recording the bird in slow motion, the video maker later noted that the pelican looked majestic, content and relaxed at this point in the clip. Before it began lifting its head all the way back and opening its mouth extremely wide to show off the size difference between the two parts of its beak. The bird then closes its mouth while looking up at the sky and the air sacs in its throat begin deflating once again as it settles back down. The bizarre slow motion footage was captured in Santa Barbara, California by video maker Scott Kaiser . At this point all the excitement appears to be over. But the bird shows it has one more trick up its sleeve as it rolls its head right back, opens its mouth again and inflates its air sacs. On display appears to be the pelican’s tongue and, quite bizarrely, some inner bill anatomy. The video concludes with the bird returning to its original position and continuing to look over the water as if nothing ever happened. The bird lifts its head all the way back and opens its mouth to show off the size difference between the two parts of its beak . The video maker later commented on the experience, describing it as an amazing display of the length and strength of the pelican’s neck and bill. Pelicans are large water birds that have mainly light-coloured plumage – the exceptions being the brown and Peruvian pelicans. They travel in flocks and hunt cooperatively, feeding primarily on fish caught on or near the water surface. The bird rolls its head right back, opens its mouth and inflates its air sacs to expose its tongue and some inner bill anatomy .
The slow motion footage was captured in Santa Barbara, California . Scott Kaiser videoed the bird sitting on a post overlooking the water . Pelican yawns exposing its beak size, tongue and inner bill anatomy .