Great White Pelican
Pelecanus onocrotalus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicaniformes)
- FamilyPelecanidae (Pelicans)
- GenusPelecanus (Pelicans)
- SpeciesPelecanus onocrotalus (Great White Pelican)
The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), also known as the eastern white pelican (in contrast to the western pelican of the Americas), rosy pelican or simply white pelican, is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes. The great white pelican has been rated as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species (IUCN). It is listed under Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, Annexure I under the EU Birds Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and Appendix II of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. It is also listed within 108 Special Protection Areas in the European Union. It occurs within 43 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in its European range. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Great White Pelican sighting in Nairobi National Park, based on 24 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Nairobi National Park
Pink-backed Pelican
Pelecanus rufescens
African Sacred Ibis
Threskiornis aethiopicus
Hadada
Bostrychia hagedash
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Black-headed Heron
Ardea melanocephala
Hamerkop
Scopus umbretta
African Spoonbill
Platalea alba
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Great Egret
Ardea alba
intermediate egret
Egretta intermedia
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
📅 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 Great White Pelican in Nairobi National Park?
About 2% of wildlife watchers report a Great White Pelican sighting in Nairobi National Park, based on 24 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Great White Pelican in Nairobi National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Great White Pelican in Nairobi National Park in our monthly data.