Animal · Romania, Egypt, Kenya
Great white pelican
Pelecanus onocrotalus — the name this animal has in the language scientists everywhere share.
The great white pelican has one of the largest wingspans of any bird, up to 3 metres across, and a huge stretchy throat pouch. It fishes in lakes, rivers and coastal wetlands.
Picture credit: Zeynel Cebeci (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Zeynel Cebeci (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Charles J. Sharp (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where does the great white pelican live?
Home: Lakes, rivers and coasts across Africa, Europe and Asia.
In the wild you find it in: Romania, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Greece.
Conservation status from the IUCN: not in danger.
The short profile
Fully grown it measures 1.4–1.8 m long, wingspan up to 3 m. It weighs about 11 kilograms. On the menu: meat.
The story behind it
A great white pelican's pouch is not for storing fish, as many people think; it works more like a fishing net, scooping up water and prey together before the bird tips its head to drain the water out and swallow the catch. Pelicans often fish in groups, forming a line or a semicircle to herd fish into shallow water where they are easier to catch, a rare example of coordinated teamwork in birds. Despite weighing over 11 kg, great white pelicans are excellent fliers and use rising warm air currents called thermals to soar long distances with barely a wingbeat, sometimes migrating hundreds of kilometres this way. They nest in large colonies, often alongside other waterbirds, on islands safe from land predators.
Find it on the globe
Great white pelican is there as a tiny animated figure that breathes and looks around. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
What is a pelican's pouch for?
A pelican's throat pouch works like a fishing net, scooping up fish along with a large mouthful of water. The pelican then tips its beak down to drain the water out before swallowing its catch.
Do pelicans hunt together?
Yes, great white pelicans often fish in coordinated groups, swimming in a line or semicircle to drive fish into shallow water. This teamwork makes it easier for the whole group to catch a meal.
How big is a pelican's wingspan?
A great white pelican's wingspan can reach about 3 metres, one of the largest of any flying bird. This huge wing area lets it soar on warm air currents for long distances with very little effort.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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