Great White Pelican

• anatomíaIt can hold several litres of water and fish in the elastic pouch of its lower bill, draining the water off before swallowing the catch.
• It is one of the widest-winged birds in the world, at up to 3.6 m from wingtip to wingtip.
• It is the type species of the genus Pelecanus, described by Linnaeus in 1758.
• It shares its habitat with the pink-backed pelican, from which it can be told apart by its larger size and its white rather than greyish plumage.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Large wetlands, lakes and deltas of Africa, south-eastern Europe and western Asia

Sexual maturity

3.5 years

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List · Wikipedia (Pelecanus onocrotalus) · Animalia.bio · Animal Diversity Web (Fawkes) · Linnaeus 1758

Best time: All year round in the large wetlands of Africa and south-eastern Europe