great white pelican


The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes.

Male Great White Pelicans are slightly larger than females. Males measure 175 centimetres in length, and females 148 centimetres in length. Males also have a slightly longer beak/bill which measures 35 to 47 centimetres, while the female’s is 29 to 40 centimetres. The weight of male pelicans is 9 to 15 kilograms and females from 5 to 9 kilograms. Both have a huge wingspan of up to 3 metres wide.

Great White Pelicans are white in colour with black and grey primary feathers. Their bodies are large with long, broad wings attached. They have a short tail, short, pinkish legs and webbed feet. There is a bare pink/yellow facial patch around their eyes. Their spectacular bills are azure blue on the top and yellow underneath where there is a large pouch. The bill has a central red stripe, and ends in a small, red hook.

The Great White Pelican’s chest and throat may have pinkish or yellowish/orange colouration depending on the breeding season. In breeding condition the male has pinkish skin on is face and the female has yellowish/orange skin.

The Great White Pelican’s huge, long bill/beak is used to scoop up fish from the water. The pouch under the beak is stretchy and can hold several litres of water. As the Pelican pushes its bill underwater, the lower bill bows out, creating a large pouch which fills with water and fish. As the bird lifts its head, the pouch contracts, forcing out the water but retaining the fish which are swallowed whole.

\Great White Pelicans can be found in the swamps, freshwater lakes, brackish lakes, marshes and deltas of Africa (Asia and Europe).

Great White Pelicans feed mainly up on fish such as carp and cichlids but will also eat small invertebrates. These water birds do not have to dive to catch their prey, instead they use their large bills to sccop the fish into their mouths by dipping their heads into the water.

عربية : البجع الأبيض, البجعة البيضاء, البجعة البيضاء البجعة
أذربيجانية : Çəhrayı qutan
بيالوروسية : Пелікан ружовы, Ружавы пэлікан, Ружовы пелікан
كاتالانية : Pelicà, Pelicà blanc comú, Pelicà vulgar
Catalan (Balears): Pelicà
Valencian: Pelicà vulgar
تشيكية : Pelikán bílý, Pelikán menší
غالي'ة : Pelican gwyn
الدانماركية: Hvid Pelikan, Pelikan
ألمانية : Rosapelikan, Weisspelikan
Greek (Cypriot): Ροδοπελεκάνος
إنجليزية : Eastern White Pelican, European White Pelican, Great White Pelican, Rosy Pelican, White Pelican
English (India): Great White Pelican (Rosy Pelican)
English (Kenya): Great White Pelican
إسبيرنتو : Blanka pelikano
إسبانية : Pelícano Blanco, Pelícano Común, Pelícano vulgar
Spanish (Spain): Pelícano Común
إستونية : Pelikan, pelikan (roosapelikan), Pelikan e. roosapelikan
باسك : Pelekanoa, Pelicà vulgar, Pelikanoa
فارسية : پلیکان سفید, پلیکان (مرغ سقای) سفید
فنلندية : Pelikaani, ruusupelikaani, Ruusupelikkani
فرنسية : Pélican blanc
إيرلندية : Peileacán bán
غاليكيانية : Pelicà vulgar, Pelicano branco
مانكس اسكوتلاندي: Pellagan
عبرية : שקנאי לבן, שקנאי מצוי
كرواتية : Ružičasti nesit
هنغارية : Rózsás gödény
أرمنية : [Vardaguyn Havalusn ], Վարդագույն Հավալուսն
أندونيسية : Burung Undan Putih, Undan putih
إيسلندية : Roðakani
إيطالية : Pellicano, Pellicano bianco, Pellicano comune
يابانية : momo-iro perikan, momoiroperikan, Momo-iro-perikan, Momoiro-perikan
اليابانية: モモイロペリカン
Japanese (Kanji): 桃色ペリカン
كازاخستانية : Қызғылт бірқазан
لاتينية : Pelecanus onocrotalus, Pelecanus onocrotalus roseus, Pelecanus roseus
ليتوانية : , Rožinis pelikanas
لاتفية : Sārtais pelikāns
ماسيدونية : обичен пеликан, Розов (Обичен) пеликан
ملايالامية : വെണ്‍ കൊതുമ്പന്നം
هولندية : Gewone pelikaan, Pelikaan, Roze Pelikaan
بولندية :  Pelikan różowy, pelikan różowy (pelikan baba)
Pinyin: bái tíhú
برتغالية :  Pelicano-vulgar
رومانية : Pelican comun
روسية : Rozovy Pelikan, Пеликан розовый, Розовый пелекан, Розовый пеликан
سندية : دڄٽ يبن )ډ ٯَ ٺٕبي( ٴٕى ي
سلوفاكية : Pelikán bielý, Pelikán obyčajný, Pelikán ružový
سلوفينية : rožnati pelikan
ألبانية : Pelikani rozë
صربية : bijeli pelikan, nesit, pelikan, Ružičasti nesit,
سويدية : Pelikan, Vit pelikan
سواحلية : Mwari Mweupe
تايلاندية : นกกระทุงขาว
Thai (Transliteration): nók krà-tʰuŋ kʰăaw
تركية : Ak pelikan, Akpelikan, Beyaz Pelikan, Kaşıkçı Kuşu
تسونغية : Gumbula
أوكرانية :  Рожевий пелікан
فييتنامية : , Chim Bồ nông chân hồng, Chim Lềnh
جوسا : Ingcwanguba
صينية : [bai tihu], 白鵜鶘 , 白鹈鹕
Chinese (Traditional): 白鵜鶘
زولوية : iFuba