The Great White Pelican - Pelecanus onocrotalus

In this video, we learn about the Great White Pelican

You can find more info on https://avibirds.com

QUICK FACTS:

 Average length: ♂ 175 cm (68 in) ♀ 148 cm (58 in)
 Average weight: ♂12 kg (26 lb ) ♀ 7 kg (16 lb)
 Wingspan range: 226 cm (89 in) to 360 cm (141 in)


Description: This massive pelican is one of the heaviest flying bird species. The male is markedly larger and heavier than the female. Their white plumage is tinged yellowish to rosy-pink on their necks and chest areas leading to the alternate name – rosy pelican.

Black primary and secondary feathers are visible on their wing edges. They have dark brown eyes, long slender necks, and pinkish bare skin on their faces.

During the breeding season, the pink skin on the females turns bright orange. Pelicans have distinctive bills. Great white pelicans have bluish-pink upper-beaks which end in a downward hook.

The bright yellow lower-beak extends into a conspicuous yellow gular pouch. Juvenile great white pelicans have brownish upperparts with lighter underparts.

Distribution: The great white pelican is a widely distributed species that breeds in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Asia. Most African great white pelicans are sedentary, while the Palaearctic populations migrate to temperate regions during winter.

Fun Fact: Thousands of these pelicans can be seen in Israel as they stopover here during the migration period.

Habitat: These birds inhabit warm, shallow freshwater systems such as wetlands, lakes, lagoons, deltas, and estuaries.

Behaviour and Adaptations: Great white pelicans are highly social birds occurring in large flocks.

They are well adapted for swimming as well as flying. They have strong legs and webbed feet, which they use to propel themselves in water. They are also powerful fliers with large wings and streamlined, aerodynamic body design. They are often sighted travelling in collective linear, circular, or V-formation groups.

Diet: The great white pelican is largely piscivorous. They mostly feed on large fish. But they are also opportunistic and occasionally prey on the eggs and chicks of other birds.

Although rare, adult birds such as gulls and pigeons may also be preyed on. Great white pelicans sometimes also resort to kleptoparasitism -stealing the prey of other birds.

Feeding: Pelicans have a peculiar fishing technique. They immerse their bills underwater as the gular pouch fills with fish and water. As they lift their bills, the pouch contracts and the water drains out leaving the fish behind.

Great white pelicans typically fish in cooperative groups by corralling fish in a U-shaped formation made up of up to eight birds.

Did you know? In some regions, great white pelicans may fly up to 100 kilometres away from their roosting sites in search of food.

Reproduction: Great white pelicans typically nest in scrapes on the ground, which they line with softer materials like grasses and feathers. Some populations build their nests out of sticks.

They breed in large colonies. Females lay up to four eggs and incubation lasts just over a month. The parents raise their nestlings together.

Conservation: Population numbers of the great white pelican are stable at present. However, some populations may be threatened by habitat loss and overfishing, which results in them having to travel large distances to find food.

They are also exploited in some parts of the world and harvested for their skin, meat, fats, and pouches, which are made into tobacco bags.