# Dalmatian pelican (*Pelecanus crispus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/dalmatian-pelican  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a medium-sized bird of the family Pelecanidae in the order Pelecaniformes. It has a wingspan of 3.2 m, with reported values from 2.95 to 3.45 m, and an adult body mass of 9.5 kg. This partially migratory, carnivorous aquatic predator lives in wetland habitat, and its geographic range covers 3,326,000 km². The IUCN Red List classifies it as Near Threatened, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8.66 kg – 10.6 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 2.95 m – 3.45 m |
| Lifespan | 35.3 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 30.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 – 2.75 |
| Age at maturity | 2.5 years – 2.74 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Pelecaniformes
- family: Pelecanidae
- genus: Pelecanus
- species: *Pelecanus crispus* Bruch, 1832

Synonyms: *Pelecanus philippensis crispus*

## Common questions

### How big is the dalmatian pelican?

The dalmatian pelican has a wingspan of 3.2 m and an adult body mass of 9.5 kg. Reported wingspans range from 2.95 to 3.45 m.

### What does the dalmatian pelican eat?

The dalmatian pelican is a carnivore in the aquatic predator diet category.

### Is the dalmatian pelican endangered?

No. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the dalmatian pelican live?

The dalmatian pelican has a lifespan of 35.3 years.

### How many eggs does the dalmatian pelican lay?

The dalmatian pelican lays 2.75 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year. The eggs incubate for 30.5 days.

### When does the dalmatian pelican reach sexual maturity?

It reaches sexual maturity at 2.6 years, with reported values from 2.5 to 2.7 years.

### Does the dalmatian pelican migrate?

Yes, the dalmatian pelican is partially migratory.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/dalmatian-pelican