American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicaniformes)
- FamilyPelecanidae (Pelicans)
- GenusPelecanus (Pelicans)
- SpeciesPelecanus erythrorhynchos (American White Pelican)
The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Costa Rica, in winter. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a American White Pelican sighting in Joshua Tree National Park, based on 120 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Joshua Tree National Park
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
White-faced Ibis
Plegadis chihi
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a American White Pelican in Joshua Tree National Park?
About 3% of wildlife watchers report a American White Pelican sighting in Joshua Tree National Park, based on 120 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see American White Pelican in Joshua Tree National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for American White Pelican in Joshua Tree National Park in our monthly data.