Updated
The great white pelican is a huge, mostly white waterbird with a yellow-orange throat pouch and black flight feathers that show in flight. It often fishes in groups, swimming in a line or semicircle to drive fish into shallow water before scooping them up. In Uganda it is seen in flocks on the lakes and channel of Queen Elizabeth National Park, especially Lake Edward, Lake George and the Kazinga Channel, and sometimes in the Nile delta at Murchison Falls.
Habits
Pelicans can hold several litres of water in their pouch, draining it before swallowing the fish. Great white pelicans breed in large colonies on the ground on islands or remote shores and travel long distances to feed. They soar gracefully on thermals in V-formations, and flocks roosting on sandbanks are a common sight from boats. Uganda also has the smaller pink-backed pelican.
Where to see it
The Kazinga Channel boat trip and the shores of Lake Edward near the fishing villages of Queen Elizabeth are the most reliable areas. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to the pink-backed pelican, the Kazinga Channel, Uganda’s great lakes and Uganda birding.
Frequently asked questions
On Lake Edward, Lake George and the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth.
They swim in lines to herd fish into shallow water.
Two: the great white and the pink-backed pelican.
Scooping up fish and water, which is drained before swallowing.
