WhenToBird

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos · Pelecanidae

When Do American White Pelicans Arrive in Ohio?

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

American White Pelicans mostly pass through Ohio: the first show up in mid April, they are common by late April, peak in the second week of May (4.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 4.5% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.1% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.8% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.2% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mercer CountyBest mid September · 25 checklists that week, 2,091 in all43%
  2. Auglaize CountyBest early April · 50 checklists that week, 2,068 in all18%
  3. Shelby CountyBest early April · 41 checklists that week, 1,659 in all15%
  4. Lucas CountyBest mid May · 16140 checklists that week, 152,906 in all13%
  5. Sandusky CountyBest early June · 227 checklists that week, 14,537 in all11%
  6. Clark CountyBest mid March · 353 checklists that week, 14,637 in all9.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Buck Creek State Park (New Moorefield)Clark County, best mid March · 23 checklists that week, 458 in all71%
  2. Scioto Audubon Metro ParkFranklin County, best late June · 25 checklists that week, 790 in all70%
  3. Mercer Wildlife AreaMercer County, best the second week of April · 34 checklists that week, 630 in all63%
  4. Douglas MarshLucas County, best mid September · 59 checklists that week, 4,595 in all62%
  5. Ritter Marsh (Searles Marsh)Ottawa County, best the second week of November · 26 checklists that week, 1,278 in all60%
  6. Winous Point MarshOttawa County, best the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 179 in all55%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the American White Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 1.6% of 43093 checklists7 am: 1.2% of 142017 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 205296 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 196322 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 170882 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.8% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
March0.4%0.6%0.8%0.9%
April0.7%1.0%1.0%1.0%
May3.1%5.8%4.2%1.4%
June0.7%0.4%0.3%0.4%
July0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%
August0.3%0.5%0.5%0.6%
September0.7%0.8%1.3%1.0%
October0.7%0.7%0.7%0.6%
November0.5%0.3%0.3%0.1%
December0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives mid February, 8 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of September, 19 weeks later than Ohio
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of February, 9 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Tennessee: arrives late September, 21 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do American White Pelicans arrive in Ohio?
American White Pelicans mostly pass through Ohio: the first show up in mid April, they are common by late April, peak in the second week of May (4.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do American White Pelicans leave Ohio?
Most American White Pelicans have left Ohio by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American White Pelican in Ohio?
The American White Pelican is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 4.5% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are American White Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Mercer County, Auglaize County, and Shelby County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American White Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).