Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)
The great white pelican is a huge bird—only the Dalmatian pelican is, on average, larger among pelicans. It measures 140 to 180 cm (55 to 71 in) in length with a to cm ( to in) enormous pink and yellow bill, and a dull pale-yellow gular pouch. The wingspan measures 226 to 360 cm ( to ft), the latter measurement being the highest among extant flying animals outside of the great albatross. The adult male measures about 175 cm (69 in) in length; it weighs from 9 to 15 kg (20 to 33 lb) [3] and larger races from the Palaearctic are usually around 11 kg (24 lb), with few exceeding 13 kg (29 lb).[8] It has a bill measuring to cm ( to in). The female measures about 148 cm (58 in) in length, and is considerably less bulky, weighing to 9 kg (12 to 20 lb), and has a bill that measures to cm ( to in) in length.[8] In Lake Edward, Uganda, the average weight of 52 males was found to kg ( lb) and in 22 females it was kg ( lb). In South Africa, the average weight of males was kg (21 lb) and of females was kg (15 lb). Thus the sexual dimorphism is especially pronounced in this species (perhaps the greatest known in any extant pelican), as at times the male can average more than 30% more massive than the female. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 60 to 73 cm (24 to 29 in), the tail 16 to 21 cm ( to in), and the tarsus 13 to cm ( to in) long. Standard measurements from different areas indicate that pelicans from the Western Palaearctic are somewhat larger than those from Asia and Africa.
Size: 3091px × 3090px
Location: Kerkini Greece
Photo credit: © Intellifix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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