WhenToBird

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos · Pelecanidae

When Do American White Pelicans Arrive in California?

Adult American White Pelican
Photo: Craig K, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The American White Pelican is in California all year. It turns up on about 6.5% of checklists at its peak (mid November) and on 2.5% in its quietest week (the second week of May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekNov 15-21mid November
Quietest weekMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: mid November. Here all year. Peak: on about 6.5% of California checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 5.7% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.6% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.8% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.5% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.4% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.8% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.8% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.5% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.4% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.0% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.6% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.9% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.7% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.0% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.6% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.6% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.4% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.4% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.8% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.9% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.2% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.3% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.2% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.7% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.0% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.7% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.1% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.2% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.2% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.1% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.1% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.1% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.4% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.0% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.5% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.2% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.7% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.8% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.0% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.5% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.2% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.2% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.8% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.1% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.6% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.5% of 124993 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in California that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Napa CountyBest the second week of August · 283 checklists that week, 18,976 in all35%
  2. Solano CountyBest the second week of August · 380 checklists that week, 25,325 in all29%
  3. Lake CountyBest the second week of March · 265 checklists that week, 12,989 in all29%
  4. Yolo CountyBest the second week of July · 732 checklists that week, 67,424 in all29%
  5. Imperial CountyBest late October · 425 checklists that week, 24,551 in all26%
  6. Modoc CountyBest late July · 309 checklists that week, 6,138 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (northwest 2)Santa Clara County, best the second week of August · 27 checklists that week, 681 in all98%
  2. Crittenden MarshSanta Clara County, best late July · 45 checklists that week, 291 in all98%
  3. Redwood Shores Ecological ReserveSan Mateo County, best mid August · 26 checklists that week, 2,621 in all97%
  4. Shorebird MarshMarin County, best the second week of October · 24 checklists that week, 1,405 in all96%
  5. Prado Regional ParkSan Bernardino County, best the second week of March · 29 checklists that week, 1,313 in all96%
  6. Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife AreaSolano County, best late August · 33 checklists that week, 671 in all96%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In California, the American White Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (5.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 4.2% of 186053 checklists7 am: 4.8% of 444086 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 535846 checklists9 am: 5.4% of 486061 checklists10 am: 5.6% of 411130 checklists11 am: 5.3% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 5.0% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 5.2% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 4.7% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 4.0% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 3.5% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 3.1% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January5.7%5.6%5.8%5.5%
February5.4%4.8%4.8%5.5%
March5.4%5.0%4.6%3.9%
April3.7%3.0%2.6%2.6%
May2.4%2.6%2.4%2.8%
June2.9%3.2%3.3%4.2%
July4.7%5.0%5.7%6.1%
August6.2%6.2%6.1%6.1%
September6.1%5.4%5.0%5.5%
October5.2%5.7%5.8%6.0%
November6.5%6.2%6.2%6.8%
December6.1%5.6%5.0%5.5%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: all year, most in summer, peaks mid August
  • Utah: summer visitor, peaks late April
  • Arizona: winter visitor, peaks late November
  • Oregon: summer visitor, peaks early September

Common questions

When do American White Pelicans arrive in California?
The American White Pelican is in California all year. It turns up on about 6.5% of checklists at its peak (mid November) and on 2.5% in its quietest week (the second week of May).
When do American White Pelicans leave California?
The American White Pelican does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 2.5% of checklists in the second week of May to 6.5% in mid November.
When is the best time to see a American White Pelican in California?
The American White Pelican is reported most often in mid November, on about 6.5% of California checklists.
Where in California are American White Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Napa County, Solano County, and Lake County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American White Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).