The Peruvian Pelican (Pelecanus thagus) is a member of the pelican family. It lives on the west coast of South America, from Lobos de Tierra Island in Peru to Pupuya Islet in Chile.

These birds are dark in colour with a white stripe from the top of the bill up to the crown and down the sides of the neck. They have long tufted feathers on the top of their heads. It used to be considered a subspecies of the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). The Peruvian birds are nearly twice the bulk of the Brown Pelican, averaging 15.4 lb (7 kg) in weight; they are also longer, measuring about 5 ft (1.5 m) overall.

The main breeding season occurs from September to March. Clutch size is usually two or three eggs. Eggs are incubated for approximately 4 to 5 weeks, with the rearing period lasting about 3 months.

This bird feeds on several species of fish. It feeds by diving into the water from flight, like the Brown Pelican.

Its status was first evaluated for the IUCN Red List in 2008, being listed as Near threatened.^[2]

Gallery

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  In Chile

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  Peruvian pelican

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  Several Peruvian Pelicans at the Caleta Pan de Azúcar fishing village in Pan de Azúcar National Park in Chile in early September 2009.

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  A Peruvian Pelican takes a bath at Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Walsrode Bird Park, Germany)

Footnotes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pelecanus thagus

• Mundo Azul Species Factsheet
• BirdLife International (BLI) (2008a) Peruvian Pelican Species Factsheet. Retrieved 2008-MAY-26.
• BirdLife International (BLI) (2008b): [2008 IUCN Redlist status changes]. Retrieved 2008-MAY-23.