Spot-billed Pelican

Scientific Name: Pelecanus philippensis
Common Name: Spot-billed Pelican
Other Name: Grey pelican

Identifying Features: white body, grey crest and neck, brownish tail, yellow-orange tip of bill, spotted bill

Fun Facts:

  • This species is a colonial breeder, often breeding in the company of other waterbirds.
  • They are very silent although at their nests they can make hisses, grunts or snap their bills.
  • This species was once used by fishermen in parts of eastern Bengal as decoys for certain fish. These fishermen believed that an oily secretion from the bird attracted certain fish such as Colisa and Anabas.

 

This image was clicked by Lip Keevia Flickr.

Where have you seen this bird? Let us know in the comments below. You can also share a photo of this bird clicked by you by sending it to birdwatcher@delhigreens.org

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