- Art Gallery -

Pelecanus crispus

Pelecanus crispus (*)

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Pelecaniformes
Familia: Pelecanidae
Genus: Pelecanus
Species: Pelecanus crispus

Name

Pelecanus crispus Bruch, 1832

Vernacular names
Internationalization
Ελληνικά : Αργυροπελεκάνος
English: Dalmatian Pelican
Français: pélican frisé
日本語: ニシハイイロペリカン
Русский: кудрявый пеликан
Українська: Кучерявий пелікан


Reference

* Isis, oder Encyclopädische Zeitung 25 col.1109
* [1] Listed animal in CITES Appendix I

------

The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a member of the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe to India and China in swamps and shallow lakes. The nest is a crude heap of vegetation.

This is the largest of the pelicans, averaging 170–190 cm (67-75 inches) in length, 11–15 kg (24-33 lbs) in weight and just over 3 m (10 ft) in wingspan. On average, it's the world's heaviest flying species, although large male bustards and swans can exceed the pelican in maximum weight. It differs from the White Pelican in that it has curly nape feathers, grey legs and greyish-white (rather than pure white) plumage. It has a red lower mandible in the breeding season. Immatures are grey and lack the pink facial patch of immature White Pelicans. The latter also has darker flight feathers.

This pelican migrates short distances. In flight, it is an elegant soaring bird, with the flock moving in synchrony. The neck is then held back like a heron's.

As is well known, pelicans catch fish and small birds in their huge bill pouches.
Pelecanus crispus at Beijing Zoo.JPG

Like the White Pelican, this species has declined greatly through habitat loss and persecution[clarification needed]. As of 1994, there are around 1,000 breeding pairs in Europe, most of them in Russia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania (Karavasta Lagoon).

The Dalmatian Pelican is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

No subspecies are known to exist over its wide range, but based on size differences, a Pleistocene paleosubspecies Pelecanus crispus palaeocrispus has been described from fossils recovered at Binagady, Azerbaijan.

References

* BirdLife International (2006). Pelecanus crispus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable

List of Cyprus birds

Biology Encyclopedia

Birds, Fine Art Prints

Birds Images

Source: Wikispecies, Wikipedia: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License