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Birds

Spot-billed
Pelican

Near Threatened

Decreasing

Spot-billed Pelican

Pelecanus philippensis

The Spot-billed Pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Pakistan 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 colors and the grayer plumage are distinctive. In some areas these birds nest in large colonies close to human habitations.

Grey Pelican

Regional Names
  • Assamese:
    ঢেৰা
  • Bhojpuri:
    बिरवा हंस
  • Gujarati:
    રુપેરી પેણ, ચોટલી પેણ
  • Hindi:
    हवासिल
  • Malayalam:
    പുള്ളിച്ചുണ്ടൻ കൊതുമ്പന്നം
  • Marathi:
    राखी झोळीवाला
  • Nepali:
    घाउँके हावासील
  • Sanskrit:
    महाप्लव
Media Gallery
Taxanomy

PELECANIFORMES
PELECANIDAE
Pelecanus philippensis

Quick Facts
  • A pelican's pouch can hold 3 times as much as its stomach.
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