Dalmatian Pelicans

Dalmatian Pelicans (Pelecanus crispus) are, by a slight margin, the largest of the pelican species, measuring 160 to 183 cm in length, 7 to 15 kg in weight and 290 to 345 cm in wingspan. The Dalmatian Pelicans also differ from other very large pelicans in that they have curly nape feathers, grey legs and silvery-white (rather than pure white) plumage. In winter, adult Dalmatian Pelicans go from silvery-grey to a dingier brownish-grey cream colour. Immature birds are grey and lack the pink facial patch that can be seen on mature white pelicans. In the breeding season their lower mandible becomes orange-red and the pouch on their upper mandible becomes yellow.

Dalmatian Pelicans breed from southeastern Europe to India and China in swamps and shallow lakes. They feed almost entirely on fish, and the carps present in abundance in Lake Kerkini are definitively among their preferred prey species, which is fortunate as an adult Dalmatian Pelican requires around 1.2 kg of fish per day.

The Dalmatian Pelican is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies and it is therefore a protected bird.

 

Pelican 1 _DX_8671

Pelican 2 _DX_2882

Pelican 3 _DX_7132