WoRMS taxon details
Pelecanus onocrotalus Linnaeus, 1758
137176 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137176)
accepted
Species
marine, terrestrial
Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886 [details] Available for editors 
[request]
[request]
Description Size: 140-178 cm. Plumage: white; breeding birds have pinkish tinge; back of head with small crest; primaries, secondaries...
Distribution Old World
Description Size: 140-178 cm. Plumage: white; breeding birds have pinkish tinge; back of head with small crest; primaries, secondaries and primary coverts black (noticeable only in flight). Immature mostly grey-brown with some white on back and belly. Bare parts: iris red to red-brown; male facial skin pink to purplish, female facial skin orange; bill yellowish grey with pink edges and yellow pouch; feet and legs pink to yellow. Habitat: coastal bays and estuaries, and inland waters.<388><393><391> [details]
Distribution Old World
Distribution Old World [details]
WoRMS (2026). Pelecanus onocrotalus Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137176 on 2026-08-13
Date
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Nomenclature
original description
Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886 [details] Available for editors [request]
basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]
[request]basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]
Other
additional source
Brown, L.H., E.K. Urban & K. Newman. (1982). The Birds of Africa, Volume I. <em>Academic Press, London.</em> [details]
Present Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Unreviewed
Description Size: 140-178 cm. Plumage: white; breeding birds have pinkish tinge; back of head with small crest; primaries, secondaries and primary coverts black (noticeable only in flight). Immature mostly grey-brown with some white on back and belly. Bare parts: iris red to red-brown; male facial skin pink to purplish, female facial skin orange; bill yellowish grey with pink edges and yellow pouch; feet and legs pink to yellow. Habitat: coastal bays and estuaries, and inland waters.<388><393><391> [details]Distribution Old World [details]
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Albanian | pelikani rozë | [details] |
| Bulgarian | Розов пеликан | [details] |
| Dutch | roze pelikaan | [details] |
| English | white pelicangreat white pelican | [details] |
| French | pélican blanc | [details] |
| German | Rosapelikan | [details] |
| Hebrew | שקנאי מצוי | [details] |
| Italian | pellicano | [details] |
| Lithuanian | rožinis pelikanas | [details] |
| Modern Greek (1453-) | Ροδοπελεκάνος | [details] |
| Norwegian | pvitpelikan | [details] |
| Norwegian Bokmål | hvitpelikan | [details] |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | kvitpelikan | [details] |
| Polish | pelikan różowy | [details] |
| Romanian | pelicanul comun | [details] |
| Russian | розовый пеликанПеликан розовый | [details] |
| Slovenian | rožnati pelikan | [details] |
| Spanish | pelícano común | [details] |
| Swedish | vit pelikan | [details] |
| Turkish | ak pelikan | [details] |
| Ukrainian | Рожевий пеліканПелікан рожевий | [details] |
To Barcode of Life (6 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (578 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Pelecanus onocrotalus)
To GenBank (36 nucleotides; 21 proteins)
To Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI)
To IUCN Red List (Least Concern)
To PESI
To ITIS
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (578 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Pelecanus onocrotalus)
To GenBank (36 nucleotides; 21 proteins)
To Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI)
To IUCN Red List (Least Concern)
To PESI
To ITIS
From editor or global species database
