Pelicans are water birds of the genus Pelecanus in the family Pelecanidae, known for their large, elastic throat pouches. They live near lakes, rivers, and seacoasts in many parts of the world. These birds are among the largest flying species, with some reaching 180 cm in length and a 3-meter wingspan, weighing up to 13 kg. Pelicans eat fish, using their throat pouch as a dip-net to scoop them up. They don't store fish in their pouch but swallow them immediately. The brown pelican dives from the air to capture fish, while other species swim together to drive fish into shallow waters. Pelicans nest in colonies on islands, laying one to four bluish-white eggs in a stick nest. The young hatch in about a month and are fed regurgitated food. They mature at three to four years. Though awkward on land, pelicans are impressive in flight, traveling in flocks and often flapping their wings in unison.

What do pelicans eat?

Pelicans primarily eat fish, which they catch using their large, elastic throat pouches as a dip-net. They do not store the fish in their pouch but swallow them immediately. The brown pelican catches fish by plunging from the air, while other pelican species swim in formation, driving small schools of fish into shallow water where they scoop them up. Pelicans have also been observed herding and capturing ducklings in a similar way. Pelicans, as fish-eating birds in inland and coastal waters, tend to accumulate insecticide residues like DDT in their bodies, which can negatively impact their ability to reproduce.

How do pelicans catch their food?

Pelicans catch fish using their extensible throat pouches as dip-nets. They don't store the fish but swallow them immediately. Brown pelicans capture fish by plunging from the air, while other pelican species swim in formation, driving small schools of fish into shallow water to scoop them up. When fishing in shallow water, pelicans cooperate to form a living net, forming a crescent or circle to capture fish trying to escape.

What are some special features of pelicans?

Pelicans are water birds recognized by their large, elastic throat pouches. These birds, found on lakes, rivers, and seacoasts across the world, can grow up to 180 cm long with a 3-meter wingspan and weigh around 13 kg. Pelicans use their unique throat pouches to scoop up fish while swimming. They do not store fish in their pouches, but swallow them immediately. While most pelican species swim in formation to drive fish into shallow waters, the brown pelican uniquely dives from the air to capture its prey.

How do different species of pelicans differ from each other?

Pelicans, belonging to the genus Pelecanus , are water birds recognized by their large, elastic throat pouches. While they share this defining feature, pelican species differ in size, habitat, and feeding behaviors. The brown pelican ( Pelecanus occidentalis ) is smaller, measuring 107–137 cm, and captures fish by dramatically diving from the air. In contrast, other pelican species such as the North American white pelican ( P. erythrorhynchos ) and the European white pelican ( P. onocrotalus ) are larger and engage in cooperative swimming to drive fish into shallow waters, which they then scoop up. Pelican habitats vary, with brown pelicans inhabiting tropical and subtropical coasts, while North American white pelicans breed on islands in north-central and western North American lakes.

pelican

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) standing on a painted surface with blue water and distant shoreline in the background in Jamaica.

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) with wings spread wide, lifting off from the surface of a lagoon at Fort De Soto Park, Florida.

Three American white pelicans, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, stand on a rock by water with a stone wall and greenery in the background.

Three eastern white pelicans with black-tipped wings take off from a muddy shoreline, wings outstretched, with blurred green vegetation in the background.

Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010: oiled pelican

Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010: wildlife

Quick Facts

Related Topics:: brown pelican; white pelican; European white pelican; Pelecanus; North American white pelican

On the Web:: PBS - Nature - Pelicans (Oct. 17, 2026)

See all related content

pelican

bird

Also known as: Pelecanidae

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 1, 2026 •History

News •

Jazz survive a third-quarter collapse to edge Pelicans in dramatic fashion • Oct. 23, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (Deseret News)

Top Questions

What is a pelican?
Pelicans are water birds of the genus Pelecanus in the family Pelecanidae, known for their large, elastic throat pouches. They live near lakes, rivers, and seacoasts in many parts of the world.

These birds are among the largest flying species, with some reaching 180 cm in length and a 3-meter wingspan, weighing up to 13 kg. Pelicans eat fish, using their throat pouch as a dip-net to scoop them up. They don't store fish in their pouch but swallow them immediately. The brown pelican dives from the air to capture fish, while other species swim together to drive fish into shallow waters.

Pelicans nest in colonies on islands, laying one to four bluish-white eggs in a stick nest. The young hatch in about a month and are fed regurgitated food. They mature at three to four years. Though awkward on land, pelicans are impressive in flight, traveling in flocks and often flapping their wings in unison.
2 Britannica Sources
1. pelican
2. pelecaniform: Nests, eggs, and young
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Where do pelicans live?
Pelicans live on lakes, rivers, and seacoasts in many parts of the world. They do not venture far from land but may commute some distance between roosting or breeding places and their feeding grounds.

The North American white pelican breeds on islands in lakes in north-central and western North America, while the brown pelican breeds along the tropical and subtropical shores of both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Some pelican species are migratory.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What do pelicans eat?
Pelicans primarily eat fish, which they catch using their large, elastic throat pouches as a dip-net. They do not store the fish in their pouch but swallow them immediately. The brown pelican catches fish by plunging from the air, while other pelican species swim in formation, driving small schools of fish into shallow water where they scoop them up. Pelicans have also been observed herding and capturing ducklings in a similar way.

Pelicans, as fish-eating birds in inland and coastal waters, tend to accumulate insecticide residues like DDT in their bodies, which can negatively impact their ability to reproduce.
2 Britannica Sources
1. pelican
2. pelecaniform: Feeding ecology
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do pelicans catch their food?
Pelicans catch fish using their extensible throat pouches as dip-nets. They don't store the fish but swallow them immediately. Brown pelicans capture fish by plunging from the air, while other pelican species swim in formation, driving small schools of fish into shallow water to scoop them up. When fishing in shallow water, pelicans cooperate to form a living net, forming a crescent or circle to capture fish trying to escape.
2 Britannica Sources
1. pelican
2. pelecaniform: Feeding ecology
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some special features of pelicans?
Pelicans are water birds recognized by their large, elastic throat pouches. These birds, found on lakes, rivers, and seacoasts across the world, can grow up to 180 cm long with a 3-meter wingspan and weigh around 13 kg.

Pelicans use their unique throat pouches to scoop up fish while swimming. They do not store fish in their pouches, but swallow them immediately. While most pelican species swim in formation to drive fish into shallow waters, the brown pelican uniquely dives from the air to capture its prey.
2 Britannica Sources
1. pelican
2. pelecaniform: Feeding ecology
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do different species of pelicans differ from each other?
Pelicans, belonging to the genus Pelecanus, are water birds recognized by their large, elastic throat pouches. While they share this defining feature, pelican species differ in size, habitat, and feeding behaviors.

The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is smaller, measuring 107–137 cm, and captures fish by dramatically diving from the air. In contrast, other pelican species such as the North American white pelican (P. erythrorhynchos) and the European white pelican (P. onocrotalus) are larger and engage in cooperative swimming to drive fish into shallow waters, which they then scoop up.

Pelican habitats vary, with brown pelicans inhabiting tropical and subtropical coasts, while North American white pelicans breed on islands in north-central and western North American lakes.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

pelican, any of seven or eight species of water birds in the genus Pelecanus constituting the family Pelecanidae (order Pelecaniformes), distinguished by their large elastic throat pouches. Pelicans inhabit lakes, rivers, and seacoasts in many parts of the world. With some species reaching a length of 180 cm (70 inches), having a wingspan of 3 metres (10 feet), and weighing up to 13 kg (30 pounds), they are among the largest of living birds.

Pelicans eat fish, which they catch by using the extensible throat pouch as a dip-net. The pouch is not used to store the fish, which are swallowed immediately. One species, the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), captures fish by a spectacular plunge from the air, but other species swim in formation, driving small schools of fish into shoal water where they are scooped up by the birds.

Audio clip of vocalizations of a pelican chick.

Pelicans lay one to four bluish white eggs in a stick nest, and the young hatch in about a month. The young live on regurgitated food obtained by thrusting their bills down the parent’s gullet. The young mature at three to four years. Though ungainly on land, pelicans are impressive in flight. They usually travel in small flocks, soaring overhead and often beating their wings in unison. The sexes are similar in appearance, but males are larger.

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

Britannica Quiz

Ultimate Animals Quiz

The best-known pelicans are the two species called white pelicans: P. erythrorhynchos of the New World, the North American white pelican, and P. onocrotalus of the Old World, the European white pelican. Between 1970 and late 2009, the smaller, 107–137-cm brown pelican was listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Though the brown pelican once bred in enormous colonies along New World coasts, its population declined drastically in North America during the period 1940–70 as a result of use of DDT and related pesticides. The birds’ breeding improved after DDT was banned.

Pelicans usually breed in colonies on islands; there may be many small colonies on a single island. The gregarious North American white pelican breeds on islands in lakes in north-central and western North America; all pairs in any colony at any given time are in the same stage of the reproductive cycle. It is migratory, as are some other species. The brown pelican breeds along the tropical and subtropical shores of both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Pelicans were once thought to be more closely related to cormorants, darters, frigate birds, and gannets and boobies, which were placed in the order Pelecaniformes with them. However, more recent genetic analysis suggests that the aforementioned seabirds may be more accurately grouped in their own order (Suliformes). A suggested revision of the order Pelecaniformes places pelicans with herons and egrets (family Ardeidae) and ibises and spoonbills (family Threskiornithidae) along with the hammerhead (Scopus umbretta) and the shoebill (Balaeniceps rex).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.

pelican

News •

Thank you for signing up!