Pelecanus onocrotalus, otherwise known as the Great white pelican or white pelican is known to be typical of Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, and they are commonly found in small water bodies such as rivers, swamps and small lakes. They build their nests in trees, and use a pile of vegetation to make nests. The white pelican is huge, and it has pure white feathers. It also has pink legs, and a characteristic pinkish spot on the face near the eye. Males are bigger than the females, and their bill is elongated forming an arc facing the ground. For the female, the bill is shorter and more straightened. Young great white pelicans are usually grayish in colour and their wing plumage is dark.

The great white pelican is graceful when flying, and it soars with the head near the body. This pelican moves in short distances, usually during winter, where they move to North of Eastern Africa. Usually, these pelicans are kept in confinement. The great white pelican catches prey in their large pouches contained in the beaks as they swim on the surface of the water. The also feed on frogs and small water animals and birds. This species of pelicans has seen a major reduction in population due to destruction of their habitat and hunting.

Great white pelicans are known to live in groups, and they are social in most of their routines, including breeding, migration, feeding and flying. They usually spend very little time looking for fish and food, since they are mostly through with feeding in early morning hours. The bulk of the day of a great white pelican is usually spent taking bath, preening and just lazing about. This is commonly seen in islets or sand ridges. The white pelican takes a bath by diving in the water as it flaps its wings. When temperatures are high, the pelican stretches its wings out to cool off.

The male of the great white pelican defends its territory by clacking its beaks and gaping, and it may be quite ferocious in attacking its adversaries. The pelican uses its beaks as its main weapon of attack, and can be lethal and very efficient in fending off unwanted intruders and enemies.

The great white pelican is known to eat different varieties fish, including non commercial species such as the shoal. The pouch of this pelican has been used in the past for making tobacco sheaths and pouches by human beings, while young pelicans have been hunted for their fat, which is used for medicinal purposes to treat rheumatism.

This pelican’s feathers and skin have been popular, and used for making leather while its droppings provide excellent fertilizer, especially in developing countries. In Africa, there is a fairly large population of the white pelicans. However, the great white pelican population has seen a major decline in Europe, mainly due to human activities and rampant hunting for its skin, feathers and oil to make such products as mentioned above, among others.