American White Pelican
American White Pelican has surged: up 250% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
About the American White Pelican
The American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a North American member of the Pelicans (Pelecanidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 41.5–71 in long (105–180 cm) — a very large waterbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 409 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 22 states, most concentrated in the Great Basin.
- Family
- Pelecanidae · Wetland birds
Notable American White Pelican Trends
American White Pelican has surged in surveyed states: up 250% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
American White Pelican Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, American White Pelican is projected to rise about 55% by 2029 — from 0.56 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.87 (95% range 0.52–1.2). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±37.3%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.82 | 0.48 | 1.2 |
| 2026 | 0.83 | 0.49 | 1.2 |
| 2027 | 0.84 | 0.50 | 1.2 |
| 2028 | 0.85 | 0.51 | 1.2 |
| 2029 | 0.87 | 0.52 | 1.2 |
Where the American White Pelican Is Detected
BBS routes recording American White Pelican, sized by most recent count.
American White Pelican Population Trend by State
| Alabama | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Arkansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| California | +213% | 1974 | 33 |
| Colorado | 33× | 1991 | 31 |
| Idaho | -52% | 1981 | 16 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Kansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Louisiana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Minnesota | +316% | 1980 | 46 |
| Montana | 18× | 1971 | 45 |
| Nebraska | +27% | 1975 | 12 |
| Nevada | +142% | 1995 | 11 |
| New Mexico | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| North Dakota | +250% | 1970 | 38 |
| Oklahoma | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oregon | -66% | 1972 | 24 |
| South Dakota | -46% | 1969 | 27 |
| Texas | -92% | 1991 | 15 |
| Utah | -71% | 1973 | 21 |
| Washington | -0% | 1996 | 15 |
| Wisconsin | 22× | 2003 | 14 |
| Wyoming | +606% | 1985 | 53 |
American White Pelican Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | +66% | 1972 | 82 |
| Northern Rockies | -61% | 1976 | 67 |
| Prairie Potholes | +58% | 1969 | 68 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -42% | 1984 | 20 |
| Sierra Nevada | -40% | 1974 | 4 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | 33× | 1992 | 22 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +795% | 1970 | 52 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -45% | 1992 | 21 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | -78% | 1970 | 13 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +329% | 1993 | 23 |
| Coastal California | +7% | 1989 | 12 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | -43% | 2000 | 11 |
American White Pelican Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 250% since 1969.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.