American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchosOrder: PELECANIFORMES Family: Pelicans (Pelecanidae)

Codes: Common Name: AWPE Scientific Name: PELERY ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174684

Head

Topo Map: Duck-like Head

Bill Shape: Specialized
Eye Color: White in hatchlings, becoming hazel to bluish gray in adults.
Head Pattern: Plain, Crested or plumed
Crown Color: White with pale yellow crest.
Forehead Color: White
Nape Color: White
Throat Color: White
Cere color: No Data

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Body

Topo Map: Duck-like Body

Length Range: 152-160 cm (60-63 in)
Weight: 6983 g (246.4 oz)
Size: Size 5. Very Large (32 - 72 in)
Color: White
Underparts: White
Upperparts: White
Back Pattern: Solid
Belly Pattern: Solid
Breast Pattern: Solid

Flight

Topo Map: Duck-like Flight

Flight Pattern: Strong, slow deep wing beats.
Wingspan Range: 244-279 cm (96-110 in)
Wing Shape: Broad-Wings, Very-Long-Wings
Tail Shape: Squared Tail
Tail Pattern: Solid
Upper Tail: White
Under Tail: White
Leg Color: Orange-red

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

American White Pelican

American White Pelican: Huge, white seabird, enormous outstretched wings show black primaries, outer secondaries in flight. Bill, legs are bright orange, upper bill develops a fibrous keel during breeding season. Slow, deep wing beats. Soars high on thermals. Flies in straight line or V formation.

● Song: "croak, croak, croak"

● Foraging & Feeding: American White Pelican: Feeds mostly on fish while swimming, snatching prey with large bill; groups may concentrate prey by herding. An adult pelican can consume up to 4 lbs of food each day. Unlike the Brown Pelican, this bird does not plunge dive for food.

● Breeding & nesting: American White Pelican: Nests in colonies, laying one or two white eggs on a low mound built from mud and debris. Nesting colonies are usually located on marshy islands, but occasionally on rocky islands in desert lakes. Incubation ranges from 29 to 36 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: American White Pelican: Wood Stork has a black tail, a dark, featherless head and neck, and long legs that trail beyond tail in flight. Brown Pelican has gray-brown upperparts, dark wings, and a darker bill. It also plunge dives for fish while flying.

Flight Pattern

Strong, slow deep wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: American White Pelican: Breeds from British Columbia and Mackenzie south to northern California, Utah, and Manitoba; also breeds along the Gulf Coast. Spends winters in the southern U.S. south to Panama. Preferred habitats include shallow lakes and coastal lagoons.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationFairly common to common

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight246.4 Ounces

Duck-like Head

Duck-like Body

Duck-like Flight

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America