Spot-billed Pelican

The Spot-billed Pelican is a medium-large pelican of South and Southeast Asian wetlands, named for the dark speckling that develops on its bill during the breeding season. Its population has declined substantially across much of its historic range, though it remains locally common in a few protected strongholds.

Appearance

Adults are greyish-white overall with a shaggy nape crest, a pale grey-blue bill marked with dark spots on the upper mandible during breeding, and a pale pinkish or bluish pouch.

Key field marks

• Overall greyish-white plumage, duller than some other pelican species
• Dark spots on the upper bill during the breeding season
• Shaggy crest on the nape
• Pale pouch, sometimes with a bluish or pinkish tinge

Similar species

Within its Asian range it can be confused with the Great White Pelican in non-breeding plumage, but the Spot-billed Pelican is generally greyer, smaller-billed, and shows the diagnostic bill spotting when breeding.

Habitat and range

Spot-billed Pelicans inhabit freshwater lakes, marshes, and large rivers across South and Southeast Asia, with important breeding populations in India, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia. Historic breeding colonies in Southeast Asia have been greatly reduced, with Cambodia now hosting one of the most significant remaining strongholds.

The species is largely resident or makes only local movements tied to seasonal water availability, rather than undertaking long-distance migration.

Behavior

Spot-billed Pelicans forage mainly by swimming and scooping fish into their pouches, sometimes fishing individually or in loose groups rather than the tightly coordinated lines seen in some other pelican species.

Voice

Adults are largely silent, with low grunting calls given occasionally near nesting colonies.

Nesting and breeding

They typically nest in trees in mixed colonies with storks, herons, and cormorants, building stick platform nests. Two to three eggs are usually laid, and breeding success is closely tied to protection of remaining large wetland habitats.