American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
(c) Christian Nunes, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Christian Nunes · CC BY-NC 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)
BirdsIn Ottawa County, Ohio

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos J. F. Gmelin, 1789

American White Pelican in all of Ohio
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Genus
Pelecanus

Conservation status

Of special interest in Ohio (Ohio Division of Wildlife, June 2026)

Ohio's Division of Wildlife names it as one at the edge of its range in Ohio, breeding here at low numbers. It is not listed as endangered or threatened.

Near Ottawa County

Range

Where it is recorded

Season shown in 0 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio

  • No result yet (52)
  • Recorded, too few records for a result (33)
  • Recorded, season not shown (3)
  • Season shown (0)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Show as a table
Counties as a table
American White Pelican by Ohio county: records and mapped range
CountyRecords
Adams CountyNo qualifying records yet
Allen CountyNo qualifying records yet
Ashland CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ashtabula CountyNo qualifying records yet
Athens CountyNo qualifying records yet
Auglaize CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Belmont CountyNo qualifying records yet
Brown CountyNo qualifying records yet
Butler CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Carroll CountyNo qualifying records yet
Champaign CountyNo qualifying records yet
Clark CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Clermont CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Clinton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Columbiana CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Coshocton CountyNo qualifying records yet
Crawford CountyNo qualifying records yet
Cuyahoga CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Darke CountyNo qualifying records yet
Defiance CountyNo qualifying records yet
Delaware CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Erie CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Fairfield CountyNo qualifying records yet
Fayette CountyNo qualifying records yet
Franklin CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Fulton CountyNo qualifying records yet
Gallia CountyNo qualifying records yet
Geauga CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Greene CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Guernsey CountyNo qualifying records yet
Hamilton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Hancock CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Hardin CountyNo qualifying records yet
Harrison CountyNo qualifying records yet
Henry CountyNo qualifying records yet
Highland CountyNo qualifying records yet
Hocking CountyNo qualifying records yet
Holmes CountyNo qualifying records yet
Huron CountyNo qualifying records yet
Jackson CountyNo qualifying records yet
Jefferson CountyNo qualifying records yet
Knox CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lake CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lawrence CountyNo qualifying records yet
Licking CountyNo qualifying records yet
Logan CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lorain CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lucas County138 · Recorded, season not shown
Madison CountyNo qualifying records yet
Mahoning CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Marion CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Medina CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Meigs CountyNo qualifying records yet
Mercer County30 · Recorded, season not shown
Miami CountyNo qualifying records yet
Monroe CountyNo qualifying records yet
Montgomery CountyNo qualifying records yet
Morgan CountyNo qualifying records yet
Morrow CountyNo qualifying records yet
Muskingum CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Noble CountyNo qualifying records yet
Ottawa County72 · Recorded, season not shown
Paulding CountyNo qualifying records yet
Perry CountyNo qualifying records yet
Pickaway CountyNo qualifying records yet
Pike CountyNo qualifying records yet
Portage CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Preble CountyNo qualifying records yet
Putnam CountyNo qualifying records yet
Richland CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ross CountyNo qualifying records yet
Sandusky CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Scioto CountyNo qualifying records yet
Seneca CountyNo qualifying records yet
Shelby CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Stark CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Summit CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Trumbull CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Tuscarawas CountyNo qualifying records yet
Union CountyNo qualifying records yet
Van Wert CountyNo qualifying records yet
Vinton CountyNo qualifying records yet
Warren CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Washington CountyNo qualifying records yet
Wayne CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Williams CountyNo qualifying records yet
Wood CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Wyandot CountyNo qualifying records yet

No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.

Season

When it is recorded

In Ottawa County

Not enough evidence

The weeks are still too uncertain to show a season. Based on 72 records in 8 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, above the minimum of 20 records from 5 different years.
Show over the bars
Recording in Ottawa County · records of all species each week, 13,333 in all

Records per week from 72 records in 8 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not a season or how common it is.

Show as a table
Records of American White Pelican in Ottawa County each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of American White PelicanYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–100042
Jan 11–170040
Jan 18–240041
Jan 25–310014
Feb 1–70022
Feb 8–140022
Feb 15–211137
Feb 22–280078
Mar 1–71165
Mar 8–145341
Mar 15–213262
Mar 22–280079
Mar 29 – Apr 41179
Apr 5–110080
Apr 12–1822189
Apr 19–2522235
Apr 26 – May 221203
May 3–911557
May 10–161351,468
May 17–23831,043
May 24–3011430
May 31 – Jun 600351
Jun 7–1321223
Jun 14–2000267
Jun 21–2711463
Jun 28 – Jul 411405
Jul 5–1111376
Jul 12–1800448
Jul 19–2500387
Jul 26 – Aug 100406
Aug 2–811430
Aug 9–1511814
Aug 16–2200447
Aug 23–2900353
Aug 30 – Sep 522430
Sep 6–1211406
Sep 13–1933448
Sep 20–2633366
Sep 27 – Oct 333274
Oct 4–1033280
Oct 11–1722169
Oct 18–2411136
Oct 25–3121105
Nov 1–71181
Nov 8–1411136
Nov 15–210040
Nov 22–282253
Nov 29 – Dec 50051
Dec 6–120036
Dec 13–190031
Dec 20–261142
Dec 27 – Jan 20052

In Ohio

Early March to early November, middle week May 10–16

Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all

Records per week from 517 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.

Recorded on 337 dates. Latest record: November 2025.

Show as a table
Records of American White Pelican in Ohio each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of American White PelicanYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–10216,211
Jan 11–17215,146
Jan 18–24114,645
Jan 25–31004,698
Feb 1–7116,023
Feb 8–14005,888
Feb 15–21215,436
Feb 22–28116,846
Mar 1–71258,321
Mar 8–1418410,384
Mar 15–2123512,620
Mar 22–2824613,949
Mar 29 – Apr 416719,661
Apr 5–118526,860
Apr 12–1818839,925
Apr 19–2522541,623
Apr 26 – May 218756,391
May 3–923752,952
May 10–1679853,785
May 17–2352957,698
May 24–3012554,651
May 31 – Jun 63153,099
Jun 7–135353,700
Jun 14–203256,625
Jun 21–274355,361
Jun 28 – Jul 49458,477
Jul 5–113261,336
Jul 12–186464,722
Jul 19–256469,753
Jul 26 – Aug 11159,416
Aug 2–84359,712
Aug 9–154355,994
Aug 16–222154,328
Aug 23–295451,772
Aug 30 – Sep 59357,167
Sep 6–129459,075
Sep 13–1910454,543
Sep 20–2618645,860
Sep 27 – Oct 318843,180
Oct 4–1014737,841
Oct 11–177330,824
Oct 18–249721,156
Oct 25–319519,021
Nov 1–76414,172
Nov 8–141112,621
Nov 15–21327,965
Nov 22–28228,136
Nov 29 – Dec 5006,083
Dec 6–12536,004
Dec 13–19315,423
Dec 20–26215,661
Dec 27 – Jan 2328,459

What these results show

These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.

Identification

How to identify it

Often confused with

  • Great Egret Ardea alba51 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Mallard Anas platyrhynchos28 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Snow Goose Anser caerulescens17 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias15 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant

From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.

Land cover where it is recorded

Land coverIts recordsAll Ohio records
Open water38%3%
Wetland36%5%
Developed15%49%
Farmland5%11%
Grassland and shrub3%0.9%
Barren1%0.6%
Forest1%31%

From 150 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Where these results come from

  • Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
  • Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
  • See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.

Records behind the Ohio result

517 records from 2 datasets.

To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).

A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.