Grey Pelican
Grey PelicanGrey PelicanGrey PelicanGrey Pelican

Grey Pelican

Pelecanus philippensis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
20–30% · Possible
overall probability at Minneriya National Park
60 Verified records at Minneriya National Park
October Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) or gray pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes. At a distance they are difficult to differentiate from other pelicans in the region although it is smaller but at close range the spots on the upper mandible, the lack of bright colours and the greyer plumage are distinctive. In some areas these birds nest in large colonies close to human habitations. Wikipedia →

20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Pelican sighting in Minneriya National Park, based on 60 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Minneriya National Park

Black-headed Ibis
LC

Black-headed Ibis

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Threskiornis melanocephalus

40–50% · Likely
Little Egret
LC

Little Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta garzetta

30–40% · Possible
Grey Heron
LC

Grey Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea cinerea

30–40% · Possible
Indian Pond Heron
LC

Indian Pond Heron

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Ardeola grayii

30–40% · Possible
Great Egret
LC Endemic

Great Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea alba

30–40% · Possible
intermediate egret

intermediate egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta intermedia

20–30% · Possible
Purple Heron
LC

Purple Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea purpurea

10–20% · With luck
Eurasian Spoonbill
LC

Eurasian Spoonbill

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Platalea leucorodia

5–10% · With luck
Black-crowned Night Heron
LC

Black-crowned Night Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Nycticorax nycticorax

<5% · Rare
Striated Heron
LC

Striated Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Butorides striata

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

20–30
Jan
30–40
Feb
10–20
Mar
10–20
Apr
20–30
May
30–40
Jun
30–40
Jul
40–50
Aug
40–50
Sep
40–50
Oct
20–30
Nov
20–30
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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

# Park Country Probability
1 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
50–60%
2 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
40–50%
3 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
20–30%
4 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
20–30%
5 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
<5%
6 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
7 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
8 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
9 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Grey Pelican in Minneriya National Park?

About 29% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Pelican sighting in Minneriya National Park, based on 60 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Grey Pelican in Minneriya National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Grey Pelican in Minneriya National Park in our monthly data.

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