Pelecanus conspicillatus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · 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... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Pelican sighting in Rottnest Island on a given day, based on 223 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 25th most-seen of the 81 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 December–February
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Pelican in Rottnest Island on a given day, against about 30% in June and August–September, 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, Rottnest Island has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Cape Range (Australia, about 40%) and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 30%).
Same order: Pelecaniformes
The closest relatives of the Australian Pelican that you can see in Rottnest Island (order Pelecaniformes, Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies) are White-faced Heron (about 10%) and Pacific Reef Heron (about 10%), 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 Rottnest Island (223 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.
