 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The American White Pelican's requirement of islands in large freshwater and saline lakes restricts most of the largest colonies to the three Prairie Provinces, with about one-third of the world population breeding in Saskatchewan (King and Anderson 2005). These impressive birds winter primarily along the Pacific Coast from California to El Salvador, and around the Gulf of Mexico from Yucatan to Florida (Evans and Knopf 1993).
Pelicans spend time on sandbars in many lakes all summer, but contrary to local belief no nests are built there; breeding occurs only on large islands in relatively large lakes. Foraging breeding and nonbreeding pelicans drop unpredictably into rivers, lakes, and even large sloughs during the summer almost anywhere.
Except in the northern third of the province, where the species is absent, and the Kindersley area, where it is a transient, a summer flock of majestic American White Pelicans on a lake or stretch of river is a fairly common sight (Smith 1996). Surveys of known breeding colonies have shown consistent increases since 1976. The species also formerly nested on Bigstick, Manito [Manitou], and Crane Lakes, which were last occupied in 1907, 1921, and 1958 respectively (Bent 1922, Houston 1962). In 1978 COSEWIC designated the American White Pelican as Threatened in Canada. By 1987, as its numbers increased continent wide, it was among the first bird species to be de-listed (Hanbidge in Leighton et al. 2002).
Original text by C. Stuart Houston and Mary I. Houston. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the American White Pelican in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. American White Pelican in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=AWPE&lang=en [14 Nov 2025]
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