The Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) is a distinctive Australian bird that can often be identified by a combination of plumage, shape, behaviour and voice. An enormous black-and-white waterbird with a very long pink bill and large throat pouch, broad wings and a wingspan that can exceed two metres. Adults are typically about 160–190 cm long, so size can be a useful clue when you compare the bird with nearby species.
How to identify a Australian Pelican
An enormous black-and-white waterbird with a very long pink bill and large throat pouch, broad wings and a wingspan that can exceed two metres. When you are trying to identify one in the field, start with overall size and body shape, then check the head pattern, bill, wing markings, tail and any unusually bright colours. Lighting can change how feathers look, so it is safer to use several features together rather than relying on one colour.
Pelicans often feed cooperatively, driving fish into shallow water. They also soar efficiently on thermal air currents and can travel long distances between water bodies. Behaviour is often just as useful as plumage. A bird that repeatedly uses a particular feeding style, posture or flight pattern can be much easier to identify even when it is partly hidden or too far away for a perfect view.
Where does the Australian Pelican live in Australia?
Widespread across Australia on coastal and inland waters, sometimes appearing far inland after major rainfall and flooding.
Typical habitat includes lakes, rivers, estuaries, coastal lagoons, reservoirs and sheltered marine waters. The best places to look are areas that combine suitable food with safe roosting or nesting sites. Distribution can shift locally with rainfall, flowering, breeding seasons and food availability, so a species may be common in one district and much harder to find only a short distance away.
What does the Australian Pelican eat?
Mostly fish, along with crustaceans and other aquatic animals. The exact menu can change with season and location. Wild birds generally do best when they can use natural food sources, so this guide describes normal feeding ecology rather than encouraging people to offer processed human food.
Watching how a bird feeds can also help with identification. Note whether it forages on the ground, probes mud, takes nectar from flowers, hunts from a perch, dives into water or catches insects in flight.
Behaviour and calls
Pelicans often feed cooperatively, driving fish into shallow water. They also soar efficiently on thermal air currents and can travel long distances between water bodies.
Adults are generally quiet but may grunt or make low vocalisations around colonies. Learning even one characteristic call can be extremely helpful because many Australian birds are heard before they are seen. Calls can vary with alarm, courtship, contact between flock members and time of day, so use voice together with visual clues.
Nesting and breeding
They nest in large colonies on islands, shorelines or inland lake beds, with breeding often triggered by favourable water conditions. Breeding timing varies across Australia and can be influenced by latitude, rainfall and local conditions. If you find an active nest or dependent young, observe from a respectful distance so the adults can continue normal feeding and defence behaviour.
Similar birds
No other Australian bird combines such a huge size with the extremely long pouch bill. Black-and-white cormorants are much smaller and slimmer. If you are unsure, compare bill shape, body proportions, eye colour, leg colour and voice as well as plumage. Photographs taken from different angles can be especially useful for checking difficult features after the sighting.
Quick identification tip
For a fast identification, remember three things: the bird is approximately 160–190 cm long; its key visual clue is an enormous black-and-white waterbird with a very long pink bill and large throat pouch, broad wings and a wingspan that can exceed two metres.; and its usual Australian setting is lakes, rivers, estuaries, coastal lagoons, reservoirs and sheltered marine waters. Those three clues will usually narrow the options quickly before you compare similar species.
Sources and further reading
For additional Australian bird information, see BirdLife Australia bird profiles and the Australian Museum bird collection.
