| Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Pelecanus onocrotalus (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Great White Pelican French name: Pélican blanc Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Pelecanidae Size: Size : 140 to 175 cm; Weight : 10 to 11 kg Habitat: Lakes bordered by dense water vegetation especially reed beds, estuaries, coastal lagoons and marshes. Food: Only fishes (up to 1,5 kg per day). Nesting: The female lays 2 eggs between April and June in a nest made up with a heap of reeds and other vegetation. The Great White Pelican nests in colonies. Migration: Sedentary. Geographic area: South-western Europe( rare), Near East, Central Asia, North-western India, Tropical and South Africa. |
The Great White Pelican has a completely white plumage except the long black feathers on the wings. You can see them from the underside during flight. It shows a yellow skin pouch below the bill. It has a capacity of thirteen litres and can hold up to 4kg of fishes. The Great White pelican's pouch is also used to decrease the temperature of the body. The legs are pinkish or reddish. The Great White Pelican is web-footed. Males have a crest behind the head. |
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I have observed this Great White Pelican in the Mykonos harbour, where it did not seem to be annoyed by the tourist crowd. Is this here a tame bird or a wild bird? |
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The Great White Pelican does not always stay on the Mykonos harbour, it sometimes goes for a walking tour in town. |
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Here we are at the very beginning of a boat tour in the Danube Delta. Many Great White Pelicans are circling in the sky. I did not change the focal length and this view represents only a very small fraction of what we saw. |
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Our motorboat, sized for about 15 people, was not optimal for approaching the birds. The few Great White Pelicans observed on the water stayed at a distance. |
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Flying close to the water. |
André Bon November 2024