Pelecanus thagus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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.
These birds are dark in colour with a white stripe from the top of the bill up to the crown and down the sides of the neck. They have long tufted feathers on the top of their heads. It was previously considered a subspecies of the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). The Peruvian pelican is considerably larger, ranging from about 5 to 7 kg (11–15 lb) in weight, 137 to 152 cm (4.5–5.0 ft) in length and with a wingspan of about 228 cm (7.5 ft). Compared to the brown pelican, it also has proportionally longer crest feathers, as well as differences in the colours of the gular pouch, beak, scapulars and greater wing coverts.
The main breeding season occurs from September to March. Clutch size is usually two or three eggs. Eggs are incubated for approximately 4 to 5 weeks, with the rearing period lasting... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Zoo de Doué | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Xcaret | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Parque Safari | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 6 | Parque de las Leyendas | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 7 | Buin Zoo | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 8 | Florida Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Peruvian Pelican sighting in Machalilla National Park on a given day, based on 137 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 61st most-seen of the 248 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Peruvian Pelican in Machalilla National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and April, the lowest months. That is one of Machalilla National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 140 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Peruvian Pelican sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Machalilla National Park, in our data
Machalilla National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Peruvian Pelican sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Peruvian Pelican is recorded against all the birds logged in Machalilla National Park (137 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
