Pelecanus conspicillatus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol ยท PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is a large waterbird in the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand. It is a predominantly white bird with black wings and a pink bill. It has been recorded as having the longest bill of any living bird. It mainly eats fish, but will also consume birds and scavenge for scraps if the opportunity arises.
The Australian pelican was first described by Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin verb conspicere, meaning 'to behold', and refers to the 'spectacled' appearance created by its conspicuous eye markings.
The Australian pelican is medium-sized by pelican standards, with a wingspan of 2.3 to 2.6 m (7.5 to 8.5 ft). Weight can range from 4 to 13 kg (8.8 to 28.7 lb), although most of these pelicans weigh between 4.54 and 7.7 kg (10.0 and 17.0 lb). The average weight of four unsexed Australian pelicans was 5.5 kg (12 lb), making this the second heaviest Australian flying bird species on average, after the brolga, although the male of...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillip Island Nature Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 2 | Rottnest Island | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 3 | Cape Range | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 4 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 5 | Booderee National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 6 | Noosa National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 7 | Royal National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 8 | Freycinet National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 9 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 10 | Maria Island National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 11 | Blue Mountains National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 12 | Grampians National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 13 | Kosciuszko National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 14 | Kakadu National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 15 | Great Otway National Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ragunan Zoo | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 2 | Pairi Daiza | ๐ง๐ช Belgium | |
| 3 | Tierpark Berlin | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | |
| 4 | Zlรญn-Leลกnรก Zoo | ๐จ๐ฟ Czechia | |
| 5 | Bali Zoo | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 6 | Walsrode World Bird Park | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | |
| 7 | Parc des oiseaux | ๐ซ๐ท France | |
| 8 | Taman Safari Indonesia | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 9 | Bangladesh National Zoo | ๐ง๐ฉ Bangladesh | |
| 10 | Healesville Sanctuary | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 11 | Berlin Zoological Garden | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | |
| 12 | Sea World | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 13 | Taronga Zoo | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 14 | Singapore Zoo | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | |
| 15 | Cleland Wildlife Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 16 | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 17 | Melbourne Zoo | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 18 | Parndana Wildlife Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 19 | Gembira Loka Zoo | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 20 | Surabaya Zoo | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 21 | Bandung Zoo | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 22 | Bird Paradise | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | |
| 23 | Faunia | ๐ช๐ธ Spain | |
| 24 | Rainforest Wild Asia | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | |
| 25 | Parque de las Leyendas | ๐ต๐ช Peru | |
| 26 | Van Blanckendaell Park | ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands | |
| 27 | Adelaide Zoo | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 28 | Jardin zoologique de la ville de Lyon | ๐ซ๐ท France | |
| 29 | Kamogawa Sea World | ๐ฏ๐ต Japan | |
| 30 | Gorge Wildlife Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 31 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 32 | Koala Park Sanctuary | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 33 | Bali Bird Park | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 34 | Kinderbauernhof auf dem Gรถrlitzer | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | |
| 35 | Sea World Indonesia | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 36 | Wild Life Sydney | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | |
| 37 | Aquarium Berlin | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | |
| 38 | Lembang Park & Zoo | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 39 | Maharani Zoo & Goa | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 40 | Taman Safari Indonesia 2 | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 41 | Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Pelican sighting in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, based on 965 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 149 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and October
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Pelican in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, against about 30% in June and July, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Australian Pelican sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Australian Pelican sightings, Phillip Island Nature Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Rottnest Island (Australia, about 40%) and Cape Range (Australia, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Pelecaniformes
The closest relatives of the Australian Pelican that you can see in Phillip Island Nature Park (order Pelecaniformes, Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies) are Australian White Ibis (about 70%), White-faced Heron (about 50%) and Great Egret (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Australian Pelican is recorded against all the birds logged in Phillip Island Nature Park (965 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 "โ". How it works.
