Dalmatian Pelican
The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Danube Delta, Romania, 2021.
The Dalmatian pelican is the largest member of the pelican family, and perhaps the world's largest freshwater bird. There are two main populations of Dalmatian pelican. One breeds in Eastern Europe, wintering in the eastern Mediterranean region, and the other breeds in central Asia and Russia, wintering in the Indian subcontinent, Iran and Iraq.
Dalmatian pelicans were threatened in the past by wetland drainage, as well as being shot and persecuted by fishermen who regard them as competing with them for food. In only a few areas, fishermen continue this threat, and there is some disturbance from tourists. Habitat degradation from water pollution and wetland alteration are currently serious threats, compounded by the fishing industry’s over-exploitation of fish stocks and hunting by livestock herders in Mongolia. Furthermore, the bill of this species has traditionally been used by Mongolian nomads for a pouch.
According to IUCN’s Red List, the Dalmatian pelican total population size is about 10,000-13,900 individuals, which equates to roughly 6,700-9,300 mature individuals. Estimations for specific populations are as follows: 4,350-4,800 individuals in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea; 6,000-9,000 in south Asia and South-East Asia, and 50 in East Asia. Overall, Dalmatian pelicans are classified as Vulnerable (VU) and their numbers today are decreasing.
Dalmatian Pelican
The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Danube Delta, Romania, 2021.
The Dalmatian pelican is the largest member of the pelican family, and perhaps the world's largest freshwater bird. There are two main populations of Dalmatian pelican. One breeds in Eastern Europe, wintering in the eastern Mediterranean region, and the other breeds in central Asia and Russia, wintering in the Indian subcontinent, Iran and Iraq.
Dalmatian pelicans were threatened in the past by wetland drainage, as well as being shot and persecuted by fishermen who regard them as competing with them for food. In only a few areas, fishermen continue this threat, and there is some disturbance from tourists. Habitat degradation from water pollution and wetland alteration are currently serious threats, compounded by the fishing industry’s over-exploitation of fish stocks and hunting by livestock herders in Mongolia. Furthermore, the bill of this species has traditionally been used by Mongolian nomads for a pouch.
According to IUCN’s Red List, the Dalmatian pelican total population size is about 10,000-13,900 individuals, which equates to roughly 6,700-9,300 mature individuals. Estimations for specific populations are as follows: 4,350-4,800 individuals in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea; 6,000-9,000 in south Asia and South-East Asia, and 50 in East Asia. Overall, Dalmatian pelicans are classified as Vulnerable (VU) and their numbers today are decreasing.