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Description of the White Pelican's Habitat

American white pelicans, commonly referred to as "white pelicans," are large, pale aquatic birds native to North America. Incredibly social animals, white pelicans breed and nest in colonies of hundreds, migrating together in large groups when the weather of North America's upper regions turns cold. During migratory seasons, one is more likely to find these birds in a desert as opposed to an ocean; they favor shallow, calm waters and inland environments.

General Habitat
- White pelicans generally live near the shallow, often brackish lakes, marshes and rivers where they feed, nesting up to 30 miles farther inland or on secluded wetland islands. During the winter months, these animals move south to warmer coastal and lagoon habitats.
Breeding Habitat
- During the summer breeding season, white pelicans are found primarily in central Canada, though there are smaller populations that breed in the northern, western and midwestern regions of the United States. In fact, up to 20 percent of these birds have been observed as part of nesting colonies in the Great Salt Lake of Utah.
Migration
- Exccept for the groups that live year-round in parts of southern Texas and northwestern Mexico, most American white pelicans are migratory, funneling from the interior of Canada out into the western and midwestern United States during the winter season. The birds tend to avoid the harsh winds of open ocean as they travel south, stopping along rivers, like the Mississippi, and various estuaries to make camp.
Winter Habitat
- While white pelican populations that reside west of the Rocky Mountains often cozy up in southern California during the winter, others head to the edges of the Gulf Coast states. Still, the majority of white pelicans fly into Mexico, populating the whole of the country and some parts of Central America.

Animals & Science