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American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchosOrder: PELECANIFORMESFamily: Pelicans (Pelecanidae)

American White Pelican Portrait
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General

American White Pelican: Huge, white seabird with enormous outstretched wings showing black primaries and outer secondaries in flight. Bill and legs are bright orange and upper bill develops a fibrous keel during breeding season. Winter adult is duller and lacks keel on bill. Juvenile has gray bill and brown wash on head and neck.

Range and Habitat

American White Pelican: Breeds from British Columbia and Mackenzie south to northern California, Utah, and Manitoba; also breeds along the Gulf Coast. Spends winters in the southern U.S. south to Panama. Preferred habitats include shallow lakes and coastal lagoons.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"croak, croak, croak"

Interesting Facts

  • American White Pelicans are one of the largest of the boreal birds. They can weigh as much as 30 pounds and their wing spans can exceed nine feet.
  • The bill can hold 3 gallons of water, and after the fish have been caught the bill is pointed downward allowing the water to drain, and then the bill is raised and the bird swallows.
  • Because of pesticides, human disturbance, and the draining of wetlands, this species is in decline. The number of active colonies has dropped sharply in recent decades.
  • A group of pelicans has many collective nouns, including a "brief", "pod", "pouch", "scoop", and "squadron" of pelicans.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for American White Pelican
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Length60 - 63 Inches
Wingspan103 Inches

American White Pelican

American White Pelican: Huge, white seabird, enormous outstretched wings show black primaries, outer secondaries in flight. Bill, legs are bright orange, upper bill develops a fibrous keel during breeding season. Slow, deep wing beats. Soars high on thermals. Flies in straight line or V formation.

● Song: "croak, croak, croak"

● Foraging & Feeding: American White Pelican: Feeds mostly on fish while swimming, snatching prey with large bill; groups may concentrate prey by herding. An adult pelican can consume up to 4 lbs of food each day. Unlike the Brown Pelican, this bird does not plunge dive for food.

● Breeding & nesting: American White Pelican: Nests in colonies, laying one or two white eggs on a low mound built from mud and debris. Nesting colonies are usually located on marshy islands, but occasionally on rocky islands in desert lakes. Incubation ranges from 29 to 36 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: American White Pelican: Wood Stork has a black tail, a dark, featherless head and neck, and long legs that trail beyond tail in flight. Brown Pelican has gray-brown upperparts, dark wings, and a darker bill. It also plunge dives for fish while flying.

Flight Pattern

Strong, slow deep wing beats.
American White Pelican Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: American White Pelican: Breeds from British Columbia and Mackenzie south to northern California, Utah, and Manitoba; also breeds along the Gulf Coast. Spends winters in the southern U.S. south to Panama. Preferred habitats include shallow lakes and coastal lagoons.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationFairly common to common
MigrationMigratory
Weight246.4 Ounces