Rare pelican returns to Britain after more than 2,000 years

 A PREHISTORIC-LOOKING bird that last cast its mighty shadow over the British landscape during the Iron Age has made a sensational comeback.

By STUART WINTER

PUBLISHED: 14:34, Tue, May 10, 2016 | UPDATED: 14:58, Tue, May 10, 2016

Amazed birdwatchers have been charting the movements of the mysterious Dalmatian pelican after it touched down in Cornwall at the weekend. 

Dalmatian pelican

Only when photographs of the huge fish-eating bird with its 11-ft wingspan and enormous red bill were studied carefully was it confirmed that one of Europe’s rarest and most threatened species had returned to Britain after a gap of more than 2,000 years. 

Twitchers who tally rare bird have been monitoring the pelican’s progress around the West Country as they may well be able to include it on their lists of authentic sighting. 

The huge fish-eating bird with its 11-ft wingspan and enormous red bill were studied carefully

Experts have been analysing photographs and believe the pelican may be the same individual seen in Poland, Germany and France in recent weeks. 

The nearest breeding colonies of Dalmatian pelicans to the UK are in Bulgaria and Greece but individuals are known to wander from their nesting grounds and weather conditions have highly favourable in recent days to push one eastwards from the Continent to the UK. 

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Ornithologists find new bird species in Lithuania

Elta EN Monday, July 20, 2015 

A new bird species has been observed in Lithuania, the Baillon's crake (porzana pusilla). 

Baillon's crake (porzana pusilla). Photo Wikimedia

It was spotted in Rokiškis region in north-eastern Lithuania, the Lithuanian Ornithological Society said.  The bird was first found on 28 May in the valley of the river Saltoja in Rokiškis district by Darius and Daiva Norkūnai of the Lithuanian Ornithological Society. 

Repeated observations show that the species has settled in the region and is forming a local population, although their breeding habitat normally is in south-eastern Europe. The Baillon's crake is the third bird species for the first time observed in Lithuania this year. The others are the Pacific golden plover (pluvialis fulva) and the Dalmatian pelican (pelecanus crispus).

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Eight-year long wait: 30 rare white pelicans pay surprise visit to Sandspit

KARACHI: The arrival of over 30 young pelicans on the backwaters of Karachi in Sandspit on Saturday has been termed a good sign by environmentalists and wildlife experts.

Earlier, pollution and hunting practices had pushed the species out. The dalmatian pelican or white pelicans, one of the three kinds of pelicans, were seen on Sunday evening at the Wetland Centre of the World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan (WWF-P). Their exact number is not known but WWF-P officials believe the count is over 30.

These rare birds are believed to be restricted to a few Central Asian countries. The white pelicans are threatened species but they visit different countries, including Pakistan, during the winter season.

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