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Learn about the movements of one of the largest birds in North America, with a 9-foot wingspan, as it travels throughout the hemisphere each year. See maps, statistics, and conservation challenges for this species.
- American White Pelican
Migration & Range Maps. Most populations are migratory; some...
- American White Pelican
The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Costa Rica, in winter.
Migration. Resident to medium-distance migrant. Northern breeding populations migrate to southern California, the Gulf States, Mexico, and Central America. Populations breeding in Texas and Mexico are resident.
Catfish aquaculture farms in the Mississippi Delta have become increasingly popular spring migration stops for more easterly migrating flocks. In the winter, they favor coastal bays, inlets, estuaries, and sloughs where they can forage in shallow water and rest on exposed spots like sandbars.
Migration & Range Maps. Most populations are migratory; some populations on Texas coast and in Mexico are permanent residents. Migrates by day, in flocks. Breeders from northern plains migrate southeast and southwest to coastal lowlands. Some nonbreeding birds remain through summer on winter range, especially in Florida.
Migration of the American White Pelican. Authored by Carla Rich Montez. Apr 5, 2022. American White Pelicans Stopover at the Refuge Complex. In the spring, a remarkable migratory bird returns to the waters of the Illinois River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Complex.
Learn about the American White Pelican, one of the largest North American birds that migrates from inland lakes to coastal areas. Find out how they feed, nest, cooperate, and cope with heat and cold.
