OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Pelecanus ("pelican") erythrorhynchos ("red billed")
Two adult American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) at Hayward, California - September 2022
Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 3.5-13.6kg / Length: 50-70cm / Wingspan: 240-300cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern
An emormous bird - which reaches the top 15 or so by any metric of largest extant flying species, and in the top 2 or 3 of any listing for North America. I saw them fairly regularly throughout my trip to California, but in most instances only thermalling at extreme height in large flocks - only on the last day did I see these two individuals at anything resembling close range.
Related Species:
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Pelecanidae
Genus: Pelecanus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic
- Sighting Locations -
Patchy breeder in central and Western Lower 48, Wimtering in CSouthern alifornia and Florida through Texas
- CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Hayward and San Jose
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
.