Great white pelican
Amazing fact
The great white pelican drains the water it scoops up before swallowing fish.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The great white pelican drains the water it scoops up before swallowing fish.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Great white pelican
- Scientific name
- Pelecanus onocrotalus
- Japanese name
- モモイロペリカン
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Pelecanidae
- Genus
- Pelecanus
A pelican that breeds in Central Asia and around the Black Sea and spends the winter in places such as Africa. It lives on lakes and in wetlands.
In the breeding season, the bare skin on its face changes color: pinkish yellow in males and bright orange in females.
Pelicans line up in a V shape to drive fish toward the shore, then scoop them up with their big bills.
How the Great white pelican lives
It typically forages early in the morning, early in the evening or on full moon nights. After feeding, it roosts on rocks, on the ground or in trees. It lays eggs in a nest made of reeds and twigs.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web多摩動物公園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: males 175 cm, females 148 cmWingspan: 226–360 cm多摩動物公園
- Weight
- females 5.4–9 kg, males 9–15 kg多摩動物公園
- Lifespan
- up to 28 years in the wildUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Active
- By day (diurnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Fish多摩動物公園
- Range
- Central Asia, the Black Sea region, Africa, and northern India多摩動物公園
Where the Great white pelican has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- モモイロペリカン
- 简体中文
- 白鹈鹕
- 繁體中文
- 白鵜鶘
- 한국어
- 큰사다새
- Español
- Pelícano común
- Français
- Pélican blanc
- Deutsch
- Rosapelikan
- Português (Brasil)
- Pelicano-branco
- Italiano
- Pellicano bianco maggiore
- العربية
- بجعة بيضاء كبيرة
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Undan putih
- Tiếng Việt
- Bồ nông chân hồng
- Русский
- Розовый пеликан
- Türkçe
- Ak pelikan
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 多摩動物公園 — モモイロペリカンChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Pelecanus onocrotalusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Great white pelican, look for this
- Look for the black flight feathers visible when it spreads its wings.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
多摩動物公園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Great white pelican
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Pelecanidae
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