The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), also known as the eastern white pelican (in contrast to the western pelican of the Americas), rosy pelican or simply white pelican, is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes.

The great white pelican has been rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species (IUCN). It is listed under Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, Annexure I under the EU Birds Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and Appendix II of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. It is also listed within 108 Special Protection Areas in the European Union. It occurs within 43 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in its European range. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) is applied.

Taxonomy

The great white pelican was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the current binomial name Pelecanus onocrotalus. The species is treated as monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The specific epithet onocrotalus is Latin meaning "pelican"., itself derived from : , literally, "one who brays like a donkey," from : "donkey", and : "clapper" in reference to its harsh mating calls.

Description

alt=Great white pelican in flight at Pelican point, Namibia|thumb|Great white pelican in flight at Pelican point, [[Namibia]]

thumb|Great white pelican skimming the sea surface, in Namibia

alt=Great white pelican head close-up|left|thumb|Great white pelican head close-up

thumb|left|Two great white pelicans (left) and an [[American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) in St James's Park, London]]

thumb|in St James' Park, London

thumb|in Ethiopia

The great white pelican is a huge birdonly the Dalmatian pelican is, on average, larger among pelicans. It measures in length The wingspan measures , It has a bill measuring . The female measures about in length, and is considerably less bulky, weighing , and has a bill that measures in length. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is , the tail , and the tarsus long. Standard measurements from different areas indicate that pelicans from the Western Palaearctic are somewhat larger than those from Asia and Africa.

The male has a downward bend in the neck and the female has a shorter, straighter beak. The plumage is predominantly white except on remiges, with a faint pink tinge on the neck and a yellowish base on the foreneck. It has fleshy-yellow legs and pointed forehead-feathers where meeting the culmen. The legs are yellow-flesh to pinkish orange. Both male and female are similar, but the female is smaller and has brighter orange facial skin in the breeding season. The head, neck, and upperparts, including the upperwing coverts, are mostly brownthis is the darkest part of the neck. The facial skin and the bill, including its gular pouch, are greyish to dusky greyish. The spot-billed pelican (P. philippensis) of Asia is slightly smaller than the great white pelican, with greyish tinged white plumage, and a paler, duller-colored bill. A 1991 study noted about 3,070 to 4,300 pairs were present in the Soviet Union. Only two breeding colonies are located in the Mediterranean basin, one having 250 to 400 pairs in Turkey and the other having 50 to 100 pairs in northern Greece.

The African population of about 75,000 pairs of the great white pelican is resident. The migration routes are only partially known.

Breeding

thumb|Egg, Collection [[Museum Wiesbaden]]

The breeding season commences in April or May in temperate zones, is essentially all year around in Africa, and runs February through April in India. Large numbers of these pelicans breed together in colonies. Nest locations vary: some populations make stick nests in trees but a majority, including all those that breed in Africa, nest exclusively in scrapes on the ground lined with grass, sticks, feathers, and other material. Additionally, crocodiles, especially Nile crocodiles reportedly taken swimming pelicans. This species is often kept in captivity in zoos or in semi-wild colonies such as that in St. James's Park, London. The ancestors of this colony were originally given to Charles II by the Russian ambassador in 1664 which initiated the tradition of ambassadors donating the birds.-->

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  • (Great) White Pelican Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
  • Educational article with video about Great White Pelican