American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Unlike their brown cousins, American White Pelicans do not plunge-dive; they scoop prey into their pouches while swimming on the surface.
- Scientific name
- Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Pelecaniformes › Pelecanidae › Pelecanus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Inland shallow lakes, marshes, and coastal lagoons during winter.
- Diet
- Primarily fish such as minnows, carp, and catfish, as well as crayfish and salamanders.
- Range
- North America, Canada, United States, Mexico
- Size
- Wingspan of 2.4-3 meters (8-10 ft); weight of 5-9 kg (11-20 lbs).
- Lifespan
- 15-25 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat degradation, water diversion, and human disturbance at sensitive nesting colonies.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Maintain a distance of at least 50 yards to avoid disturbing their feeding or resting. If birds take flight, you are too close. Do not attempt to feed them.
The American white pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America and South America, in winter.
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/0e9420a4-62b1-4eed-886b-06c4f1c19941.md