Dalmatian Pelican

• It flies at around 75 km/h and the flocks move in synchrony, in very striking formations.
• It fishes in groups: the flocks cooperate in driving a shoal of fish into the shallows, then dip and fill the gular pouch with fish and water, which they empty by raising the head.
• Albania chose it for the 1 lek coin, minted in 1996, 2008 and 2013, because part of its wintering and migration range lies in the country.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Rivers, extensive wetlands and estuaries. It ranges from the eastern Mediterranean to the Taiwan Strait and from the Persian Gulf to Siberia, with short- and medium-distance migratory movements

Sexual maturity

Pairing takes place a week after arriving at the breeding grounds

Litter / clutch size

It nests in colonies in marshland. It is serially monogamous: it pairs by season, not for life, and starts courtship afresh each year

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List · Animalia.bio (ficha con datos IUCN) · Wikipedia (Dalmatian pelican) · eBird · Johnsgard 1993 · Svensson 2023 · Bruch 1832

Best time: All year round on rivers, large wetlands and estuaries, often in big flocks

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.