Bird Album
Peruvian Pelican
Pelecanus thagus Molina, 1782
3.4 kgWeight
The Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus) is a member of the pelican family.
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: Chile, Peru, Ecuador
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: Chile, Peru, Ecuador
Peruvian Pelican has been recorded at 62 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- SN Humedal Río Maipo – DesembocaduraChile2,651 records
- Refugio de Vida Silvestre Los Pantanos de Villa – Laguna Costera y Playa MarvillaPeru2,220 records
- Río Lluta – DesembocaduraChile2,111 records
More places
- Río Aconcagua – Desembocadura Humedal UrbanoChile1,293 records
- Transbordador Pargua-ChacaoChile1,138 records
- Estero El Culebrón – DesembocaduraChile893 records
- Reñaca – MontemarChile884 records
- Quintero – PelágicoChile858 records
- Isla PucusanaPeru845 records
- Valparaíso – PelágicoChile833 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus) is a member of the pelican family. It lives on the west coast of South America, breeding in loose colonies from about 33.5 degrees south in central Chile to Piura in northern Peru, and occurring as a visitor in southern Chile and Ecuador. It used to be considered a subspecies of the brown pelican.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Peruvian Pelican?
The Peruvian Pelican weighs around 3.4 kg.
Where does the Peruvian Pelican live?
Its breeding range: South America: coastal northern Peru to central Chile. It is most often recorded in Chile, Peru and Ecuador.
When is the best time to see the Peruvian Pelican?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Peruvian Pelican endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Peruvian Pelican as Near Threatened.
What does the Peruvian Pelican eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Peruvian Pelican in?
It belongs to the family Pelicans (Pelecanidae), order Pelecaniformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 3.4 kg
- Habitat
- Ocean
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Near Threatened
More measurements
- Wing
- 615 mm
- Tail
- 152 mm
- Bill
- 380 mm
- Tarsus
- 102 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
South America: coastal northern Peru to central Chile
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Pelicans Pelecanidae
- Genus
- Pelecanus
Other birds in the genus Pelecanus
Great White PelicanPelecanus onocrotalus
Pink-backed PelicanPelecanus rufescens
Spot-billed PelicanPelecanus philippensis
Dalmatian PelicanPelecanus crispus
Australian PelicanPelecanus conspicillatus
American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Dan Harville. ↗
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