Pink-backed Pelican

Pelecanus rufescens Gmelin, JF, 1789

5.4 kgWeight

The pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) is a bird of the pelican family.

Most records: Uganda, Kenya, Gambia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Pink-backed Pelican has been recorded at 311 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 39 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Lake Nakuru NPKenya1,091 records
Entebbe Botanical GardenUganda887 records
Queen Elizabeth II NP – Kazinga Channel Boat TripUganda451 records

More places

Lake NaivashaKenya427 records
Mkhuze GRSouth Africa326 records
RN TechnopoleSenegal302 records
St Lucia – iMfolozi River mouthSouth Africa268 records
Lake Manyara NPTanzania256 records
Nairobi NPKenya247 records
Kartong WetlandGambia232 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Uganda Kenya Gambia South Africa Senegal Tanzania Mozambique Ethiopia

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 pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) is a bird of the pelican family. It is a resident breeder in the swamps and shallow lakes of Africa and southern Arabia; it has also been extirpated from Madagascar.

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

Questions

How big is the Pink-backed Pelican?

The Pink-backed Pelican weighs around 5.4 kg.

Where does the Pink-backed Pelican live?

Its breeding range: Africa: inland southeastern Egypt, western, southwestern Arabian Peninsula, and Africa south of the Sahara; formerly also Madagascar and St. Joseph's Atoll (Amirantes group, north-central Seychelles). It is most often recorded in Uganda, Kenya and Gambia.

Is the Pink-backed Pelican endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Pink-backed Pelican as Least Concern.

What does the Pink-backed Pelican eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Pink-backed Pelican in?

It belongs to the family Pelicans (Pelecanidae), order Pelecaniformes.

At a glance

Weight: 5.4 kg
Habitat: Wetland
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: On the water surface
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 583 mm
Tail: 174 mm
Bill: 371 mm
Tarsus: 100 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: inland southeastern Egypt, western, southwestern Arabian Peninsula, and Africa south of the Sahara; formerly also Madagascar and St. Joseph's Atoll (Amirantes group, north-central Seychelles)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2