Spot-billed Pelican
From Freepedia
| Spot-billed Pelican Conservation status: Vulnerable | ||||||||||||||
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| Pelecanus philippensis Gmelin, 1789 |
The Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from India to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially shallow lakes. The nest is a heap of vegetation in a tree. 3-4 eggs is the usual clutch size.
This is a small pelican, at 125-150 cm length. It is mainly white, with a grey crest, hindneck and tail. In breeding plumage, there is a pink tone to the rump and underwings. Non-breeders are off-white in these areas, and immature birds are more extensively brown. As the species' name implies, there are grey spots on the pink bill in the breeding season.
Spot-billed Pelican is a localised resident, but is distributed more widely in the non-breeding season. Like most other pelicans, it catches fish in its huge bill pouch while swimming at the surface.
References
- Seabirds by Harrison, ISBN 0-7470-8028-8
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
