Edited sentence: A layer of special fibers deep in the breast muscles can hold the wings rigidly horizontal for gliding and soaring.Pelicans are large birds with large pouched bills.Pelicans rub the backs of their heads on their preen glands to pick up its oily secretion, which they transfer to their plumage to waterproof it.Pelicans swim well with their short, strong legs and their feet with all four toes webbed (as in all birds placed in the order Pelecaniformes).The Australian Pelican has the longest bill of any bird.The largest is believed to be the Dalmatian Pelican (P.The smallest is the Brown Pelican (P.The tail is short and square, with 20 to 24 feathers.The wings are long and have the unusually large number of 30 to 35 secondary flight feathers.Thus they can exploit thermals to commute over 150 km (100 miles) to feeding areas.crispus), at up to 15 kg (33 lb), 183 cm (72 in) long, with a maximum wingspan of nearly 3.5 m (11.5 ft).occidentalis), small individuals of which can be as little as 2.75 kg (6 lb), 106 cm (42 in) long and can have a wingspan of as little as 1.83 m (6 ft)