Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhyncos)

Abundance: Rare (9 records in  5 counties, 3 in Kentucky and 2 in Tennessee).

Status: Transient during fall (5 records) and spring (3 records); one record of uncertain date (but probably fall); photographs (see links below).

High Count: 29 (19 April 2009; Cumberland County, Tennessee; Marc Lipner, Edmund K. LeGrand photo).

Information on Records: 

24 October 1987 (1) Burnside Marina, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (fide Jackie B. Elmore; Stamm 1988a), photo.

25 October 1988 (2) mouth of Wolf Creek, Lake Cumberland, Russell County, Kentucky (fide L. Andrews; Stamm 1989a).

26 November 2002 (1) Grass Island near Bailey's Point, Barren River Reservoir, Allen/Barren counties, Kentucky (David L. Roemer photo; Busroe 2003a).

Summer or early fall 2004 (6) Lake Karen, Warren County, Tennessee (fide R. Gregg Garrison), photo (date and photographer unknown).

19 April 2006 (1) between Bailey's Point and Peninsula, Barren River Reservoir, Barren/Allen counties, Kentucky (Mike Vessels fide David L. Roemer).

25-27 October 2007 (1) Grass Island and Goose Island, Allen/Barren counties, Kentucky (T. Aaron Hulsey, David L. Roemer photo and unpubl. data).

11 November 2008 (1) Fishing Creek Recreation Area, Lake Cumberland, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton photo and unpubl. data).

9 April 2009 (6) Skaggs Creek, Barren River Reservoir, Barren County, Kentucky (Betty Norris fide Libby Stuart and David L. Roemer unpubl. data, Anita May photo).

19 April 2009 (29) Lake Tansi, Cumberland County, Tennessee (Marc Lipner fide Edmund K. LeGrand photo and unpubl. data).

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Habitat: Large bodies of water.

Remarks: The pelican found on Barren River Reservoir during late November 2002 and the pelican found there during October 2007 were never seen within Barren County but were sighted and photographed within Allen County only a few hundred meters from Barren County; in all probability each entered Barren County during its stay on the reservoir.

    The record in Warren County, Tennessee, is still under investigation; the date of the photo and the name of the photographer remain uncertain.

Counties with Observations (boldfaced):

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the bold-faced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited: