WhenToBird

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos · Pelecanidae

When Do American White Pelicans Arrive in Iowa?

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

American White Pelicans are in Iowa all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (16% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byApr 22-30late April
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by late April. Peak: on about 16% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 3.2% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.8% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.4% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.6% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.2% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.2% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.8% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 15% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 16% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 16% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.2% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.8% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.8% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.5% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.8% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.9% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.3% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.1% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.5% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.7% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.4% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.1% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.6% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.3% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.6% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.5% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.2% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.4% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marion CountyBest late September · 93 checklists that week, 3,389 in all63%
  2. Kossuth CountyBest late August · 13 checklists that week, 628 in all63%
  3. Jackson CountyBest mid April · 59 checklists that week, 1,765 in all56%
  4. Louisa CountyBest mid April · 53 checklists that week, 1,639 in all49%
  5. Clinton CountyBest the second week of July · 13 checklists that week, 1,160 in all49%
  6. Mahaska CountyBest late September · 24 checklists that week, 912 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mississippi RiverScott County, best mid March · 24 checklists that week, 606 in all100%
  2. Saylorville Recreation Area (northwest)Polk County, best mid September · 77 checklists that week, 1,546 in all98%
  3. Saylorville Recreation AreaPolk County, best early November · 42 checklists that week, 1,723 in all94%
  4. Timber LakeJohnson County, best mid August · 26 checklists that week, 639 in all93%
  5. John Deere MarshDubuque County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 1,952 in all91%
  6. Polk City RefugePolk County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 705 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the American White Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 7.3% of 11313 checklists7 am: 7.3% of 25717 checklists8 am: 9.5% of 29755 checklists9 am: 10% of 28897 checklists10 am: 10% of 26343 checklists11 am: 11% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 10% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 8.7% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 8.4% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 8.0% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 7.9% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 8.3% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 8.3% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 5.5% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January3.2%3.8%2.8%3.0%
February2.9%2.7%2.4%3.6%
March4.2%6.2%7.8%13%
April15%16%16%12%
May8.2%5.8%5.8%5.5%
June4.8%5.9%5.3%5.1%
July6.5%6.7%6.4%9.1%
August9.6%13%12%13%
September14%13%15%16%
October14%13%13%14%
November15%12%10%9.3%
December7.6%5.5%3.2%3.4%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives late June, 13 weeks later than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid March, in the same week than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives late March, 1 week later than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of February, 5 weeks earlier than Iowa

Common questions

When do American White Pelicans arrive in Iowa?
American White Pelicans are in Iowa all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (16% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do American White Pelicans leave Iowa?
American White Pelicans never fully leave Iowa: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late April, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American White Pelican in Iowa?
The American White Pelican is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 16% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are American White Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Marion County, Kossuth County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American White Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).