Bird Guide

Australian Pelican vs Brown Pelican

Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)

Australian Pelican

Pelecanus conspicillatus

Huge5.5 kgWetland

The Australian pelican is medium-sized by pelican standards, with a wingspan of 2.3 to 2.6 m (7.5 to 8.5 ft). Weight can range from 4 to 13 kg (8.8 to 28.7 lb), although most of these pelicans weigh between 4.54 and 7.7 kg (10.0 and 17.0 lb). The average weight of four unsexed Australian pelicans was 5.5 kg (12 lb), making this the second heaviest Australian flying bird species on average, after the brolga, although the male of the more sexually dimorphic Australian bustard weighs a bit more at average and maximum weights (both birds are, of course, much smaller than the cassowary and emu).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Rob Nicholson · CC BY 4.0
Photo: Kathleen · CC BY 4.0
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

Brown Pelican

Pelecanus occidentalis

Huge3.4 kgMarine

The brown pelican is the smallest of the eight extant pelican species, but is often one of the larger seabirds in their range nonetheless. It measures 1 to 1.52 m (3 ft 3 in to 5 ft 0 in) in length and has a wingspan of 2.03 to 2.28 m (6 ft 8 in to 7 ft 6 in). The weight of adults can range from 2 to 5 kg (4.4 to 11.0 lb), about half the weight of the other pelicans found in the Americas, the Peruvian and American white pelicans. The average weight in Florida of 47 females was 3.17 kg (7.0 lb), while that of 56 males was 3.7 kg (8.2 lb).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Australian Pelican and Brown Pelican.