Annotated checklist of vagrant Pelicans(Family: Pelicanidae) of Sri Lanka

Birds that appear outside their normal range are known as vagrants. This post listed up to date published sight records of two *unconfirmed vagrants of the family Pelicanidae(Pelicans) in Sri Lanka.

* Species for which there are only one or two sight records exist categorized here as unconfirmed vagrants. Problematic records without sufficient details are also included.

      1) Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)

T.W. Hoffmann after having correspondences with T.J. Roberts on his reference of Dalmatian pelican from Sri Lanka in ‘Birds of Pakistan’ (1991) which was based on Robert’s own observation of 2 pelicans at Yala in 1982 those were definitely not Spot-billed; concluded that those pelicans were most likely of this species (Hoffmann, T. W., 1993). According to the bird club notes; above mentioned sight record was recorded in 14^th February 1982 in Yala block 1 (Hoffmann T. W. 1993 & http://www.ceylonbirdclub.org/Appendix-II.pdf). CBC currently categorized Great White Pelican as a species of less likely occurs because above report lack sufficient diagnostic details or, where necessary, sufficient comparison with ‘confusion’ species or subspecies. According to the Kotagama & Ratnavira there is only one sight record of this pelican from Yala in February 1992. (Kotagama S. & Ratnavira G., 2010: 181 based on the CBCN 1992, May: 66). It might be a confusion of above sight record of February 1982 and Bird club notes on 1992.

      2) Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus)

Single sight record by A.J. Vincent at Hambantota in March 1994 is the only record of its occurrences in Sri Lanka. (Kotagama S. & Ratnavira G., 2010)

References:

Hoffmann, T. W. (1993). Notes from the Ceylon Bird Club, 1992. Loris, 20(1), p12-14.

Kotagama, S., Ratnavira, G. 2010. An illustrated Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka. Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka, Colombo.