Baby Pelicans (Complete Guide with Pictures)

There are eight species in the Pelican family (Pelecanidae), with representatives from every continent except Antarctica. These distinctive waterbirds are easily recognizable by their long beaks and distinctive brood pouches.

Pelicans are giants of the bird world, but like all other birds, their lives begin as fledglings. So what does the little pelican look like and how big is it?

Baby pelicans hatch from large, dark white eggs. The eggs are dutifully incubated by both parents, who warm them with their feet. The chicks are completely helpless at first, but grow into full-sized chicks about three months after hatching. Baby pelicans start off as naked, pink, orange, or black chicks, but they quickly develop soft white or dark brown down coverings.

Baby pelicans beg for food by purring, which sounds a lot like the barking of a puppy. Both parents feed the babies abundant reflux fish, and the chicks can grow to a hundred times their hatching weight.

Baby pelicans look a lot like their parents when independent, though they appear duller and lack the distinctive markings and colored beaks that mature birds have.

Pelican chicks may not be the cutest babies in the bird world, but their early lives are just as fascinating. Read on to learn everything you need to know about baby pelicans.

A pair of young pelican chicks

What does a baby pelican look like?

Baby pelicans are late born, which means they are stunted when they hatch. Their eyes may be closed or slightly open, and their bodies are naked. They can’t move much at first, and it’s even hard to lift their big heads. The skin color of baby pelicans depends on their species.

For example, the newly hatched American white pelican is orange, while the baby brown pelican (Louisiana’s state bird) is pink before it grows its first feather.

As they age, most baby pelicans develop a snowy, soft down coat. Great white pelican chicks differ in that they have chocolate brown plumage, which makes them stand out from their parents.

The baby pelican already has a large mouth and a distinctive pouch when it hatches, although its proportions are much shorter than that of an adult baby pelican. They also have tough egg teeth at the tip of their snouts, which help them break out of their shells.

Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) newborn chick

Brown pelican with two chicks in the nest

How big is the baby pelican?

Baby pelicans start their lives relatively large because they hatch from large eggs. The size of hatchlings varies by species, but you can compare them to the size of an adult pigeon.

However, when the chicks have fledged and become independent, they will be the same size as their parents.

Their progress represents incredible growth when you consider that adult pelicans can be over 60 inches (1.5 m) in length and have a wingspan of 100 inches (2.5 m)!

Dalmatian pelican and its chicks nesting in reeds

How much does a baby pelican weigh?

Most baby pelicans only weigh 3 or 4 ounces (85g – 114g) when they hatch, but they will grow to gigantic sizes when they hatch. Hatchling weight depends on the species, ranging from about 2.6 ounces (75 grams) for brown pelicans to 3.9 ounces (110 grams) for American white pelicans at hatch.

The largest species is the great white pelican, whose chicks can weigh up to 5.3 ounces (150 grams). As they mature, they can reach incredible weight, with some adult birds weighing over 33 lbs (15 kg)!

What do juvenile pelicans look like?

Juvenile pelicans look very similar to their parents. When they have all their flight feathers, they are the same size as an adult bird, but you can recognize them by the subtle differences in their plumage.

Juveniles tend to be similar in overall color to adults, but lack bright colors on the beak and legs. The black markings tend to be lighter and the white feathers appear darker on juvenile pelicans.

Juvenile Spot-billed Pelican perched on a branch

What do you call the little pelican?

Baby pelicans can have many names, depending on their age. They start life as hatchlings but are called chicks until they develop flight feathers and graduate as hatchlings.

What do baby pelicans eat?

Pelicans are expert fish hunters, though they also eat amphibians, crustaceans, and even other birds. Sea pelicans feed their young in schools of small, saltwater fish such as mullets, sardines, and anchovies. Freshwater species provide fish such as trout and minnows.

Mother Pelican and her babies

How do pelicans feed their chicks?

Feeding a baby pelican this size can be embarrassing. At first, pelican parents regurgitate partially digested fish onto the nest floor where their young are feeding. The regurgitated fish was too big for the chicks to swallow it whole, but the weak chicks managed to break it apart because it had softened.

As they grow older, chicks will learn to fetch fish directly from their parents’ pouches. By about a month old, the chicks will be feeding directly from the parents’ throats. What an amazing sight the hungry chick stuck its entire head into its parent’s mouth!

Great white pelican feeding its chicks

Do both parents feed baby pelicans?

Pelican moms and dads are both involved in raising their young. Every parent helps by hatching the eggs and feeding the growing babies.

What do pelican eggs look like?

Pelicans lay large, dark white eggs. The surface of eggs is relatively rough, and when they are fresh, they are often partially covered with blood. Egg size varies depending on the species of pelican that lays the eggs.

For example, brown pelicans from the United States lay eggs that are 3 inches long by 2 inches wide (76mm x 50mm). The giant great white pelican of Europe, Asia and Africa lays larger eggs, measuring 3.6 inches long by 2.4 inches wide (92mm x 60mm).

Three brown pelican eggs in a nest

How long does it take for pelican eggs to hatch?

Pelican eggs take about a month to hatch. Depending on the species and climate, hatching time can be as short as 29 days or as long as 36 days. Interestingly, pelicans hatch their eggs on their webbed feet instead of under their breasts.

How many children does a pelican have?

Most pelicans lay two to three eggs, but Peruvian pelicans that nest in South America have been recorded as laying up to eight eggs.

Curly Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) sitting with chicks by the lake

When Do Pelicans Lay Eggs?

Pelicans are found in the northern and southern hemispheres and on every continent except Antarctica. They spawn at different times, depending on where they live.

Read on to learn when different species of pelicans typically lay their eggs.

• American White Pelican (red-billed pelican): March to May
• Brown Pelican (Pseudomonas westernis): mainly from December to September
• Peruvian Pelican (P. thagus): October to February
• Great White Pelican (P. onocrotalus): any month
• Australian Pelican (P. conscicillatus): any month
• Pinkback Pelican (P. rufescens): any month
• Spot-billed Pelican (P. philippensis): October to November
• Spotted Pelican (P. crispus): March to April

How long do baby pelicans stay with their parents?

It may take several months for baby pelicans to become independent. They grow rapidly on a diet of abundant fish and begin to leave the nest when they are about two to four weeks old. However, the juveniles do not travel far, but congregate with other young pelicans called nurseries or pods. Their parents continue to feed them through this stage.

Most baby pelicans are ready to be fully independent by about three months of age, although this varies between each species. Great white pelicans seem to mature the fastest, becoming independent after as early as 65 days. However, Dalmatian pelicans can take up to 105 days.

Pelican chicks form groups called nurseries or pods