Pelicans · Pelicans and herons
Great White Pelican
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Pelecanus onocrotalus
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How to recognize it
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Swan-sized, huge white body with long neck
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Long yellow throat pouch, bill ending in a hook
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In flight: white wings with black flight feathers
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Usually quiet; deep low croaks in groups
About the species
The Great White Pelican is hard to miss because of its huge build and the long pouch under the bill. Adults look mostly white with a faint pink wash, and in the breeding season the bare skin on the face and bill becomes brighter.
It is a sociable, noisy species that usually stays quiet away from colonies. Its calls are low and deep, with a guttural note in flight, and large nesting sites can carry a constant low rumble.
It lives around shallow lakes, deltas, marshes, and reed beds. Fish is its main food, often taken in groups, and in Europe it arrives in spring and moves south for the winter.
Where to find
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Along shallow pond edges, canal banks, and river backwaters — especially by reed beds, where the Great White Pelican drives fish toward shore in a tight, noisy line.
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On large calm lakes with low muddy shallows — easiest to spot early in the morning, swimming low with the neck partly submerged and the bill pouch spread wide.
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Near rocky islets, sandbars, and remote shore spits — where whole colonies gather and the air carries deep croaks and low grunting calls.
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Around deltas and sheltered lagoons with thick reeds nearby — on open water beside the vegetation, feeding in close-knit groups.
