American White Pelican

Above: About 25? American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), passing through.



This large aquatic bird breeds in the interior of North America, then moves south and to the coasts (as far as Central America) in winter.



It is a very large and plump bird; its overall length is about 50–67 inches (130–170 cm), courtesy of the huge beak which measures 13–14.4 inches (330–370 mm) in males and 10.4–13 in (260–330 mm) in females. It has a wingspan of about 95–120 in (240–300 cm). Body weight can range between 10 and 30 lb (4.5 and 14 kg).



American White Pelicans nest in colonies of several hundred pairs on islands in remote brackish and freshwater lakes of inland North America. The most northerly nesting colony is located on islands in the rapids of the Slave River between Fort Fitzgerald, Alberta, Canada and Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada.



They winter on the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts from central California and Florida south to Panama in large groups, like this one.

When wintering, they are rarely found on the open seashore, preferring estuaries and lakes.



Unlike the much more common-in-Florida Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), the American White Pelican does not dive for its food. Instead it catches its prey while swimming.



In the United States this species is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.