Grey Pelican
Pelecanus philippensis
Silhouette: Oscar G. Miranda · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies)
- FamilyPelecanidae (Pelicans)
- GenusPelecanus (Pelicans)
- SpeciesPelecanus philippensis (Grey Pelican)
About the Grey Pelican
The spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) or gray pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes. At a distance they are difficult to differentiate from other pelicans in the region although it is smaller but at close range the spots on the upper mandible, the lack of bright colours and the greyer plumage are distinctive. In some areas these birds nest in large colonies close to human habitations.
The spot-billed pelican was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the other pelicans in the genus Pelecanus and coined the binomial name Pelecanus philippensis. Gmelin based his description on "Le pélican des Philippines" that had been described and illustrated in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. Brisson's specimen had been collected on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The spot-billed pelican is a... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Grey Pelican in Wilpattu National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Wilpattu National Park
Indian Pond Heron
Ardeola grayii
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Black-headed Ibis
Threskiornis melanocephalus
intermediate egret
Egretta intermedia
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Ardea modesta
Ardea modesta
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodia
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
Malayan Night Heron
Gorsachius melanolophus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 7 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 9 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 10 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Grey Pelican in Wilpattu National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Pelican sighting in Wilpattu National Park, based on 152 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Grey Pelican in Wilpattu National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Grey Pelican in Wilpattu National Park in our monthly data.