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Australian Pelican

(Pelecanus conspicillatus)
Aboriginal names: "bilbungra", "boolungal", "millemurro", "nangkero", "gulaanbali" [yuwaalaraay], "guliyali" [yuwaalaraay, yuwaaliyaay], "guliyaali" [gamilaraay]
Size: 1.6-1.8 m; wing span 2.3-2.5 m

Habitat
(for details refer to a field guide)

Australian Pelicans inhabit basically the entire coastal fringe around Australia, including Tasmania, and the northern tropics, plus the eastern half of the continent. This includes the Torres and Bass Straits. Occasionally, after significant rainfall, they are also found in the arid interior of WA, the central and south-western NT and western SA.

Australian Pelicans can be found in both marine and inland waters, usually with large open surfaces.

Twitcher's tip

Australian Pelicans are world-famous for congregating at Lake Eyre - from all around the continent! - when it is full for breeding events involving tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of birds. With such events happening only once in about 30 years, it is surmised that it is the old wise birds that tell all others when and where to go when the time has come. Recently Lake Eyre has been full in two consecutive years, 2010 (with the Cooper Creek reaching the lake for the first time since 1990) and 2011. Other major floods occurred in 1886/1887, 1889/1890, 1916/1917, 1950, 1955, and 1974-1976.

Sightings

We first noticed a number of Australian Pelicans on the Greenough River, south of Geraldton, WA, in 2003, but there are also plenty on other water surfaces all over the continent, including e.g. the coastline and rivers in the NT.

Australian Pelicans were also seen by us at Iluka Bluff, Iluka Nature Reserve, northeast NSW, in 2005. They were subsequently found by us in many other locations along the east coast of Australia.

Also found in our immediate neighbourhood, in the Narrabri area, NSW, specifically around Narrabri Lake. Seen there a number of times, e.g. in September 2010.

A flock of 80 birds was spotted by us at Goran Lake, an ephemeral lake about 30 km south of Gunnedah, NSW, in April 2011. It had then filled up to capacity for the first time since 1998. In June 2011, about 110 were counted (see photo below). In September, at a time when the lake was replenished by about 50 mm of follow-up rain in the catchment, their number had swelled to about 300. In December we found most of them congregated around a tiny island in the eastern part of Goran Lake.

Photos

Australian Pelican on a rock ledge at Iluka Bluff

Portrait of an Australian Pelican

Australian Pelicans on a bank of the Greenough River

Close-up view of an Australian Pelican in flight

View onto the top of the wings in flight

Here a flock of Australian Pelicans seen from underneath

Australian Pelican on a comfy seat

Here a group taking posession of a jetty

Flock of about 110 Australian Pelicans at Goran Lake in June 2011 ; one can also see 8 Black Swans just behind the pelicans; the hillrange in the background is Coolah Tops NP

Flock of about 300 Australian Pelicans at Goran Lake in Dec. 2011

Do you want to compare the size of an Australian White Ibis with Australian Pelicans? Click on image to set your scale...

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal Mobility: Nomadic Elementary unit: Flock

Food

Like all other members of the Pelecanus family, Australian Pelicans feed on fish. We have seen them hunt in packs, trapping fish pushing forward in a semi-circular formation.

This photo demonstrates the typical hunting strategy, rounding up fish by encircling them

This group flew in to join the others shown in the photo above