Listen to the American white pelican
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the American white pelican
The American white pelican is a bird in the family Pelecanidae (order Pelecaniformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 2.7 m and weigh around 6.9 kg.
What does the American white pelican sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as wing noise. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Costa Rica, in winter.
Frequently asked questions
What does an American white pelican sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the American white pelican on this page, including its wing noise. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the American white pelican endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the American white pelican as “least concern”.
What family does the American white pelican belong to?
The American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) belongs to the family Pelecanidae in the order Pelecaniformes.
Sources & credits
- Pelecanus erythrorhynchos - American White Pelican by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wing noise · Grey Cloud Dunes SNA, Washington, Minnesota, United States by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q735190 – CC0
- Wikipedia: American white pelican – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Manjith Kainickara – CC BY-SA 2.0