Peruvian pelican

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The Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus) is a member of the pelican family. It lives on the west coast of South America, breeding in loose colonies from about 33.5 degrees south in central Chile to Piura in northern Peru, and occurring as a visitor in southern Chile and Ecuador.<ref name=HBW>Template:Cite web</ref> It used to be considered a subspecies of the brown pelican.

Description

These birds are dark in colour with a white stripe from the top of the bill up to the crown and down the sides of the neck. They have long tufted feathers on the top of their heads. It was previously considered a subspecies of the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). The Peruvian pelican is considerably larger, ranging from about Template:Convert in weight, Template:Convert in length and with a wingspan of about Template:Convert.<ref name=HBW/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Compared to the brown pelican, it also has proportionally longer crest feathers, as well as differences in the colours of the gular pouch, beak, scapulars and greater wing coverts.<ref name=HBW/>

Behaviour

Breeding

The main breeding season occurs from September to March. Clutch size is usually two or three eggs. Eggs are incubated for approximately 4 to 5 weeks, with the rearing period lasting about 3 months.

Breeding occurs in large coastal colonies.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Feeding

Peruvian pelicans feed on several species of fish. Unlike the brown pelican, they never dive from a great height to catch its food, instead diving from a shallow height or feeding while swimming on the surface.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> On occasion they may take other food items, such as nestling of imperial shags, young Peruvian diving petrels, gray gulls and cannibalize unrelated chicks of their own species.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They also feed on pelagic species such as anchovies.<ref name=":1" /> In fact, those in the northern Humboldt Current System feed almost exclusively on one species, the Peruvian anchoveta.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref>

The birds feed around cold-water upwellings, being found along the Humboldt Current.<ref name=":1" />

Conservation

Its status was first evaluated for the IUCN Red List in 2008, being listed as Near threatened.<ref>BirdLife International (BLI) (2008) Peruvian Pelican Species Factsheet, 2008 IUCN Redlist status changes.</ref> Its status was reassessed in 2018, and it was again listed as Near threatened, but with increasing population.<ref>Template:Cite iucn</ref>

One factor affecting their status may be competition with fishing industries for anchovies, a primary food source for the species.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

Gallery

Peruvian pelican in Pan de Azúcar National Park, Chile
Peruvian pelican in Pan de Azúcar National Park, Chile
Several Peruvian pelicans at the Caleta Pan de Azúcar fishing village in Pan de Azúcar National Park, Chile
A Peruvian pelican takes a bath at Weltvogelpark Walsrode, Germany
Peruvian pelicans in the Ballestas Islands, Peru
Peruvian pelican in Paracas, Peru
Pelecanus Thagus Flying above, Punta Sal, Peru