23-3-2025 GAL OYA, SRI LANKA - SPOT BILLED PELICAN (Pelecanus philippensis)

The Spot-billed Pelican, or Gray Pelican, is a member of the pelican family, distinguished by its size, which is smaller than other regional pelicans, and its distinctive plumage. It has a white body with a grey crest and a brownish tail. The feathers on the hind neck are curly, forming a greyish nape crest. The pouch is pink to purplish with large pale spots, and the upper mandible is similarly spotted. The bill's tip is yellow to orange, and the bird's overall length ranges from 125 to 152 cm, with a wingspan of 213 to 250 cm.

At a distance, the Spot-billed Pelican may be confused with other pelicans, but upon closer inspection, the spots on the upper mandible and the lack of bright colors set it apart. The greyer plumage and the rounder tail are also key identification features. The breeding plumage includes a dark base of the beak and a pink orbital patch.

This species favors large inland and coastal waters, particularly large lakes, where it can be found in shallow lowland freshwaters.

The Spot-billed Pelican breeds in southern Asia, from southern Iran across India to Indonesia. It is not migratory but may make local movements, with a wider distribution in the non-breeding season.

Spot-billed Pelicans are generally silent, but they can produce hisses, grunts, or bill snaps at their nests. They fish singly or in small flocks, often soaring on thermals during the day. They may forage at night and nest in colonies, often alongside other waterbirds.

The Spot-billed Pelican is typically silent, with vocalizations limited to the nesting period.

Breeding occurs in colonies, with nests made of twigs on low trees near wetlands. The breeding season varies, with courtship involving head movements and bill claps. Clutches usually consist of three to four chalky white eggs.

The Dalmatian Pelican is similar in flight but has darker tertials and inner secondaries, and a pale band along the greater coverts.

The Spot-billed Pelican catches fish in its bill pouch while swimming. It does not form large feeding flocks and may fish at night.

The Spot-billed Pelican is classified as Near Threatened due to habitat loss and human disturbance. However, populations in southern India are thought to be on the rise, and increased protection has led to a recovery in numbers.

17-3-2025 COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - SPOT BILLED PELICAN (Pelecanus philippensis)

The spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) or gray pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes. At a distance they are difficult to differentiate from other pelicans in the region although it is smaller but at close range the spots on the upper mandible, the lack of bright colours and the greyer plumage are distinctive. In some areas these birds nest in large colonies close to human habitations.

They are very silent although at their nests they can make hisses, grunts or snap their bills. Some early descriptions of nesting colonies have claimed them to be distinctive in their silence but most have noted colonies as noisy.

Like most other pelicans, it catches fish in its huge bill pouch while swimming at the surface. Unlike the great white pelican it does not form large feeding flocks and is usually found to fish singly or in small flocks. Groups may however sometimes line up and drive fish towards the shallows. When flying to their roosts or feeding areas, small groups fly in formation with steady flapping. During the hot part of the day, they often soar on thermals. They may forage at night to some extent.

The birds nest in colonies and the nest is a thick platform of twigs placed on a low tree. The breeding season varies from October to May. In Tamil Nadu, the breeding season follows the onset of the northeast monsoon. The courtship display of the males involves a distention of the pouch with swinging motions of the head up and down followed by sideways swings followed by the head being held back over the back. Bill claps may also be produced during the head swaying movements. The nests are usually built alongside other colonial waterbirds, particularly painted storks. Three to four chalky white eggs is the usual clutch. The eggs become dirty with age. Eggs hatch in about 30–33 days. The young stay in or near the nest from three to five months. In captivity the young are able to breed after two years. Like other pelicans, they cool themselves using gular fluttering and panting.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - SPOT BILLED PELICAN (Pelecanus philippensis)

The spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis ) or grey pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes. At a distance they are difficult to differentiate from other pelicans in the region although it is smaller but at close range the spots on the upper mandible, the lack of bright colours and the greyer plumage are distinctive. In some areas these birds nest in large colonies close to human habitations.

The spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis ) or grey pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia.

It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes. At a distance they are difficult to differentiate from other pelicans in the region although it is smaller but at close range the spots on the upper mandible, the lack of bright colours and the greyer plumage are distinctive. In some areas these birds nest in large colonies close to human habitations.

This species was once used by fishermen in parts of eastern Bengal as decoys for certain fish. These fishermen believed that an oily secretion from the bird attracted certain fish such as Colisa and Anabas.

The propensity of these birds to nest close to human habitations has been noted from the time of T C Jerdon:

Several colonies have since been discovered and while many of these have vanished others have been protected and a few villages with nesting colonies have become popular tourist attractions. Well known villages with colonies include Kokrebellur, Koothankulam and Uppalapadu.

27-3-2015 COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - SPOT BILLED PELICAN (Pelecanus philippensis)

The spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis ) or grey pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes. At a distance they are difficult to differentiate from other pelicans in the region although it is smaller but at close range the spots on the upper mandible, the lack of bright colours and the greyer plumage are distinctive. In some areas these birds nest in large colonies close to human habitations.

This species was once used by fishermen in parts of eastern Bengal as decoys for certain fish. These fishermen believed that an oily secretion from the bird attracted certain fish such as Colisa and Anabas.

The propensity of these birds to nest close to human habitations has been noted from the time of T C Jerdon:

Several colonies have since been discovered and while many of these have vanished others have been protected and a few villages with nesting colonies have become popular tourist attractions. Well known villages with colonies include Kokrebellur, Koothankulam and Uppalapadu.

The spot-billed pelican is a. It is 125–152 cm (49–60 in) long and a weight of 4.1–6 kg (9.0–13.2 lb). It is mainly white, with a grey crest, hindneck and a brownish tail. The feathers on the hind neck are curly and form a greyish nape crest. The pouch is pink to purplish and has large pale spots, and is also spotted on the sides of the upper mandible. The tip of the bill (or nail) is yellow to orange. In breeding plumage, the skin at the base of the beak is dark and the orbital patch is pink. In flight they look not unlike the Dalmatian pelican but the tertials and inner secondaries are darker and a pale band runs along the greater coverts. The tail is rounder.

The newly hatched young are covered in white down. They then moult into a greyish speckled plumage. The spots on the bill appear only after a year. The full adult breeding plumage appears in their third year.

The species is found to breed only in peninsular India, Sri Lanka and in Cambodia. A few birds from India are known to winter in the Gangetic plains but reports of its presence in many other parts of the region such as the Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh has been questioned. The main habitat is in shallow lowland freshwaters. The spot-billed pelican is not migratory but are known to make local movements and are more widely distributed in the non-breeding season.

This species is a colonial breeder, often breeding in the company of other waterbirds. The nests are on low trees near wetlands and sometimes near human habitations. Many large breeding colonies have been recorded and several have disappeared over time. In June 1906, C E Rhenius visited a colony in Kundakulam in Tirunelveli district where the villages considered the birds semi-sacred. The same colony was revisited in 1944, and was found to have about 10 nests of pelicans and nearly 200 nests of painted stork.