WhenToBird

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos · Pelecanidae

When Do American White Pelicans Arrive in Oregon?

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

American White Pelicans reach Oregon in mid March, are common by early April, peak in early September (6.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: early September. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 6.1% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.7% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.1% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.6% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.5% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.3% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.1% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.6% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.0% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.7% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.5% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.7% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.0% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.2% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.9% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.7% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.3% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.0% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.6% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.9% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.0% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.0% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.1% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.6% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morrow CountyBest mid July · 41 checklists that week, 3,484 in all34%
  2. Umatilla CountyBest late August · 367 checklists that week, 17,651 in all33%
  3. Klamath CountyBest late September · 623 checklists that week, 26,875 in all32%
  4. Columbia CountyBest late August · 623 checklists that week, 27,750 in all31%
  5. Sherman CountyBest early August · 39 checklists that week, 4,629 in all30%
  6. Malheur CountyBest early August · 23 checklists that week, 4,699 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Johnson Lake (Dairy Creek)Multnomah County, best early September · 23 checklists that week, 145 in all97%
  2. The WashColumbia County, best early September · 37 checklists that week, 274 in all94%
  3. Lake EwaunaKlamath County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 543 in all94%
  4. William L. Finley National Wildlife RefugeBenton County, best early September · 49 checklists that week, 1,760 in all92%
  5. Deschutes National Forest (Wickiup Butte)Deschutes County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 364 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the American White Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (2.8% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 3.0% of 50677 checklists7 am: 2.4% of 125347 checklists8 am: 2.6% of 163668 checklists9 am: 2.9% of 160351 checklists10 am: 2.7% of 148940 checklists11 am: 2.6% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 2.1% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 2.3% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 1.6% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January0.6%0.7%0.7%0.8%
February0.7%0.5%0.4%0.5%
March0.6%0.6%0.8%1.5%
April2.1%2.4%2.6%2.5%
May2.9%3.3%3.1%3.6%
June3.0%2.4%2.7%2.5%
July2.7%3.0%3.2%3.5%
August3.9%4.7%5.3%6.0%
September6.6%5.9%6.0%5.0%
October3.1%2.6%2.3%2.0%
November1.3%1.3%0.8%0.6%
December0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives early April, 2 weeks later than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of July, 15 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: year-round, peaks mid November

Common questions

When do American White Pelicans arrive in Oregon?
American White Pelicans reach Oregon in mid March, are common by early April, peak in early September (6.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do American White Pelicans leave Oregon?
Most American White Pelicans have left Oregon by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a American White Pelican in Oregon?
The American White Pelican is reported most often in early September, on about 6.1% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are American White Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Morrow County, Umatilla County, and Klamath County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American White Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).