Great white pelicans in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania


Lake Manyara National Park is a Tanzanian national park located both in Arusha Region and Manyara Region, Tanzania. The two administrative regions have no jurisdiction over the parks. The park is governed by the Tanzania National Parks Authority. The majority of the land area of the park is a narrow strip running between the Gregory Rift wall to the west and Lake Manyara, an alkaline or soda-lake, to the east. The park consists of 130 sq mi of arid land, forest, and a soda-lake which covers as much as 77 sq mi of land during the wet season but is nearly nonexistent during the dry season. Lake Manyara National Park is known for the flamingos that inhabit the lake. During the wet season they inhabit the edges of the lake in flocks of thousands but they are not so present during the dry season. More than 400 species of birds inhabit the park and many remain throughout the year. Because of this Lake Manyara National Park is a good spot for bird watching. Visitors to the park can expect to see upwards of 100 different species of bird on any day. Lake Manyara National Park is located 78 mi south west of Arusha The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and in Africa in swamps and shallow lakes. The great white pelican is a huge bird, with only the Dalmatian pelican averaging larger amongst the pelicans. Its wingspan can reach over 11 ft. sedentary populations are found year-round in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert although these are patchy. In Africa, great white pelicans occur mainly around freshwater and alkaline lakes and may also be found in coastal, estuarine areas.


Size: 4664px × 3330px
Location: Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: africa, arusha, bird, eastern, flying, great, lake, manyara, onocrotalus, pelecanus, pelican, rosy, safari, tanzania, white