Dalmatian Pelican

Pelecanus crispus Bruch, 1832

160–180 cmLength320 cmWingspan9.5 kgWeight

The largest pelican has a silvery-white body, gray legs and feet, and untidy curls on the back of its head.

Busiest months: January–February and May · Most records: Greece, Bulgaria, India

Looks like Great White Pelican

Near Threatened

How to identify

Field marks

Huge bill with a large gular pouch hanging below
Untidy curled feathers from the back of the head to the nape
Dark gray legs and feet
Broad, pale grayish-white wings with black tips to the primaries

Male, female and young

The male is larger than the female; juveniles are grayer and darker overall, with a less prominent crest than adults.

Voice

Usually quiet; in the breeding season it gives low grunts, hisses or barking sounds.

Similar species

Great White Pelican

Great White Pelican has a smooth head without curled feathers; Dalmatian Pelican looks more like it when its feathers darken in winter.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January–February and May · Most records: Greece, Bulgaria, India

Dalmatian Pelican has been recorded at 240 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 35 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

Greece Bulgaria India China Romania Azerbaijan Kazakhstan Türkiye

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), also known as the curly-headed pelican, is the largest member of the pelican family and among the heaviest flying birds in the world. With a wingspan typically ranging between 2.7 and 3.2 metres (8 ft 10 in and 10 ft 6 in), it ranks among the largest soaring birds. These pelicans are known for their graceful flight and often travel in synchronised flocks.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Dalmatian Pelican?

The Dalmatian Pelican is about 160–180 cm long, with a wingspan of 320 cm and weighs around 9.5 kg.

Where does the Dalmatian Pelican live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: inland southeastern Europe to Kazakhstan and western Mongolia, south to Turkey and Xinjiang (western China). It is most often recorded in Greece, Bulgaria and India.