Species group · Birds
Pelicans
WAnimals has 8 species of pelican, all in the family Pelecanidae.
- 8 species
- 1 family
- 119 countries
- 140 parks
- Weight
- 2.7 kg – 20 kg
- Length
- 1 m – 1.8 m
- Lifespan
- 7 – 15 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 8.
All 8 species of pelicans on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Least ConcernGreat White Pelican
Pelecanus onocrotalus
Near ThreatenedDalmatian Pelican
Pelecanus crispus
Least ConcernBrown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Least ConcernAmerican White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Near ThreatenedSpot-billed Pelican
Pelecanus philippensis
Peruvian Pelican
Pelecanus thagus
Pink-Backed Pelican
Pelecanus rufescens
Australian Pelican
Pelecanus conspicillatus
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 119 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
- Banc d'Arguin3 species
- Delta del Danubio3 species
- Diawling3 species
- Lago Nakuru3 species
- Prespa3 species
- Reina Isabel (Queen Elizabeth)3 species
- Santuario de Aves de Djoudj3 species
- Awash2 species
- Cataratas Murchison2 species
- Chobe2 species
- Cuencas de Makgadikgadi2 species
- Delta del Okavango2 species
- Islas Ballestasdiving
Did you know…
It can hold several litres of water and fish in the elastic pouch of its lower bill, draining the water off before swallowing the catch.
From Great White Pelican
It is one of the widest-winged birds in the world, at up to 3.6 m from wingtip to wingtip.
From Great White Pelican
It is the type species of the genus Pelecanus, described by Linnaeus in 1758.
From Great White Pelican
It flies at around 75 km/h and the flocks move in synchrony, in very striking formations.
From Dalmatian Pelican
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.
From Dalmatian Pelican
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.
From Dalmatian Pelican
It came close to extinction in the mid-twentieth century when the pesticide DDT thinned its eggshells, and recovered once it was banned.
From Brown Pelican
It feeds on small fish caught by plunge-diving from the air.
From Brown Pelican