ANIMAL: Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus Type of Animal: Pelican Habitat: Swamps, lakes, deltas, freshwater/brackish lagoons, marshes, coastal estuarine areas, inselbergs, flat inshore islands, rivers, inland waters, sandbanks, mudflats, rocky ground, reedbeds, savanna, grassland, chaparral, desert, rainforest, alpine areas, found from sea level all the way to 4,501 ft Location(s): Europe, W/C/S Asia, Africa Appearance: Large heavy white bird, black primary flight feathers, large pale-yellow gular pouch, pink legs, bare pink skin around eyes, large bill (larger in males), males larger than females, juveniles grayish-brown Food/Diet: Fish, amphibians, crustaceans, squid, worms, turtles, seabird chicks, ducklings, gulls, bird eggs, small mammals Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Breeding in zoos & wildlife parks. Protection/close monitoring of breeding/migratory sites. Lifestyle: Breeding colonies range from 400-20,000 birds. Flocks range from 6-500 birds, often more in breeding/nesting season. Additional Info: Called: Male: Cock Female: Hen Young: Chick Group: Colony/Flock Weight: Male: 20-33 lbs Female: 12-20 lbs Young: 6 lbs Gestation: 4-5 weeks Life Span: 15-20 years in wild, 30-50 years in captivity Height: Male: 5 ft Female: 4 ft Body Length: Male: 5.75 ft Female: 4.8 ft Tail Length: 6.3-8.3 in, same for both sexes Main predators of adults are crocodiles, canids, felids, hyenas, & large raptors. Feral/domestic cats & ravens prey on small subadults/juveniles. Frigatebirds, skuas/jaegers, & crows prey on chicks. These birds have a 9-11 ft wingspan-males having longer wingspan than females. Males have 1.14-1.54 ft bill length, females have 0.95-1.31 ft bill length. These birds hunt in groups to catch prey. They’re kleptoparasites, often stealing food from each other as well as other bird species. At around 3.5 weeks old, chicks start forming creches w/ other chicks while both parents forage. If multiple eggs hatch, only 1 chick typically survives due to smaller chick (s) starving. Sometimes bigger chick outright kills smaller sibling. Fun Fact(s): They can hold up to 3 gallons of water in their pouch. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t store day’s catch in pouch for eating later. Beak can hold 3 buckets of fish.
