WhenToBird

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos · Pelecanidae

When Do American White Pelicans Arrive in Nebraska?

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

American White Pelicans reach Nebraska in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (10% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 10% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.5% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.0% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.8% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.4% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.0% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.2% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.5% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.6% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.4% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.2% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.9% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.4% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.2% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.0% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.4% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.4% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.6% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.3% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.3% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.4% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.8% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.6% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.7% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.8% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.0% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.8% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.5% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.7% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.4% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.7% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.8% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.5% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.5% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.9% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harlan CountyBest early October · 17 checklists that week, 1,276 in all63%
  2. Keith CountyBest the second week of April · 56 checklists that week, 3,876 in all51%
  3. Frontier CountyBest late March · 25 checklists that week, 529 in all50%
  4. Hitchcock CountyBest early April · 16 checklists that week, 441 in all45%
  5. Garfield CountyBest early October · 21 checklists that week, 366 in all43%
  6. Cedar CountyBest mid April · 24 checklists that week, 1,691 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake WanahooSaunders County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 317 in all89%
  2. Sutherland ReservoirLincoln County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 463 in all82%
  3. Pawnee LakeLancaster County, best early April · 33 checklists that week, 1,270 in all81%
  4. Branched Oak State Recreation AreaLancaster County, best the second week of April · 29 checklists that week, 1,199 in all81%
  5. Ogallala LakeKeith County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 748 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the American White Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 4.4% of 6945 checklists7 am: 3.9% of 19066 checklists8 am: 3.8% of 24661 checklists9 am: 4.8% of 23438 checklists10 am: 5.0% of 20424 checklists11 am: 4.8% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 4.6% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 4.7% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 4.6% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 4.6% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 4.2% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 4.1% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 4.4% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 3.7% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January0.5%0.5%0.5%0.3%
February0.2%0.4%0.6%1.1%
March2.0%4.0%4.8%6.4%
April9.0%10%11%8.2%
May5.5%3.6%3.4%4.2%
June3.9%3.4%3.2%4.0%
July2.3%3.4%2.4%3.6%
August3.3%3.3%4.4%4.8%
September6.6%6.7%8.8%8.0%
October5.8%6.5%4.7%5.4%
November4.7%4.8%3.5%2.1%
December1.5%1.2%0.9%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early July, 17 weeks later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives mid March, 3 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives mid March, 3 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives late June, 16 weeks later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do American White Pelicans arrive in Nebraska?
American White Pelicans reach Nebraska in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (10% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do American White Pelicans leave Nebraska?
Most American White Pelicans have left Nebraska by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of December.
When is the best time to see a American White Pelican in Nebraska?
The American White Pelican is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 10% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are American White Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Harlan County, Keith County, and Frontier County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American White Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).