Types of Pelican in New Hampshire

Pelicans are unmistakable once you know what to look for. They are among the largest waterbirds in North America, with wingspans reaching 9 to 10 feet. The most obvious feature is the long pouch hanging beneath a pelican's lower jaw, used to scoop fish from the water. No other waterbird has this characteristic pouch. Pelicans also have massive, stout bills, short legs set far back on their bodies, and thick necks. They float high and buoyant on the water, very different from the low, streamlined profile of cormorants or grebes that also dive for fish. Their large size and silhouette are visible from great distances across open water.

Two pelican species breed regularly in North America. The American White Pelican is a large white bird with black wing tips, a bright yellow pouch, and a yellow bill. They breed across the upper Midwest and Great Plains, nesting on islands in large inland lakes and reservoirs. Brown Pelicans are smaller, darker birds with brown and white plumage and darker pouches. They breed along the Atlantic coast from Florida to the Carolinas and along the Gulf coast and Pacific coast. A third species, the Peruvian Pelican, lives along the coast of South America. Occasionally, Dalmatian Pelicans from Asia have been recorded as vagrants in Alaska. In New Hampshire, only American White Pelicans have been documented, and only as accidental sightings during migration.

Pelicans depend on specific conditions that New Hampshire cannot provide year-round. They need open water that remains largely ice-free to hunt fish, particularly in winter when they must eat daily to survive. New Hampshire's lakes and reservoirs freeze solid for months, making hunting impossible. The Atlantic coast offers cold, rocky shoreline rather than the sandy beaches, bays, and calm inlets where Brown Pelicans thrive. The fish populations in New Hampshire waters are different too, with cold-water species that do not concentrate in the predictable schools that pelicans hunt. The handful of White Pelicans ever recorded in the state were young birds or individuals displaced during migration, unable to establish themselves and moving on within days or weeks.

New Hampshire's lakes and coastal waters support a different community of fish-eating waterbirds adapted to cold climates. Common loons are diving birds that hunt fish in deep freshwater lakes and coastal areas. Double-crested cormorants and great cormorants dive for fish along the coast and larger inland lakes. Herons and egrets, such as the Great Blue Heron, wade and hunt in shallower waters and marshes. Mergansers are diving ducks that hunt small fish. Ospreys and Bald Eagles hunt from the air, plucking fish from the surface. These birds are far more efficient in New Hampshire's cold-water ecosystems than pelicans would ever be, and they arrive and depart with the seasons.

No. A pelican stranded in New Hampshire during winter would face certain death from starvation and cold. When lakes freeze, pelicans have no way to hunt the fish they need to eat every single day. Their body fat reserves deplete rapidly in cold weather, and they lack the specialized insulation of species adapted to freeze-thaw cycles. Additionally, pelicans are colonial birds that breed and migrate in flocks, and a solitary vagrant separated from its population cannot find mates, shelter, or social protection. A few White Pelicans have been documented in New Hampshire during fall migration (October and December), but these were sick or disoriented young birds, likely destined to perish unless they resumed migration or found their way to open water in the South.

If you want to see American White Pelicans in the wild, visit large inland lakes and reservoirs in the upper Midwest and Great Plains from April through September. Breeding colonies occur at sites such as Lake Onondaga in Minnesota, Gunnison Bend Reservoir in Colorado, and various lakes in North Dakota and Saskatchewan. During migration in spring and fall, small flocks appear at inland lakes and reservoirs across a wider range. The best viewing occurs at water bodies where they gather to rest and feed before continuing to breeding grounds or wintering areas. Many wildlife refuges in the upper Midwest have viewing platforms and information centers where pelicans are regularly seen during migration seasons.

Brown Pelicans inhabit the Atlantic coast from Florida northward to the Carolinas, and also the Gulf coast and Pacific coast. Large flocks gather in shallow bays, estuaries, and along sandy beaches where fish schools approach shore. Popular viewing locations include coastal areas of Florida, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Louisiana's Gulf coast, and various sites in California. Brown Pelicans are often seen flying in formation just above the water surface, or diving spectacularly from the air into schools of mullet and anchovies. Fall and winter offer the most consistent viewing, as more birds concentrate in southern coastal areas. Many coastal wildlife refuges offer guided tours and viewing platforms.

Yes, both American White Pelicans and Brown Pelicans are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is illegal to hunt, kill, trap, or harm them or to collect their eggs or feathers without a federal permit. Brown Pelicans were listed as endangered for many decades but recovered enough to be removed from the list in 1985, though they remain protected. American White Pelicans have never been listed as endangered but remain protected. These laws exist because pelicans were historically hunted and killed for their oil, wings (for fashion), and their eggs (for food). Conservation efforts and legal protection have allowed populations to recover or remain stable.

If you observe a pelican in New Hampshire, it is almost certainly a vagrant that has become lost or displaced during migration. Document the location, date, time, and any visible condition (injured, healthy, feeding). Report the sighting to the New Hampshire Audubon Society or the NH Fish and Game Department. Photographs are extremely valuable for verification. Do not approach the bird, as stress can worsen its condition and reduce its chances of survival or successful departure. Pelicans that appear sick or stranded should be reported to wildlife rehabilitation centers. Most vagrants either resume migration or perish, but occasionally a lost bird is successfully relocated by wildlife professionals.