A colonial water bird dependent on remote lake islands for nesting sites, over half of the North American population of American White Pelican breeds at a few principal sites in Canada (Peck 2007b). The breeding range in Canada has recently expanded beyond the Prairies to include the western Great Lakes (Lake Michigan, northwest Lake Superior) and Lake Nipigon. After an important decrease in the first half of the 20th century largely attributed to human activity (Peck 2007b), results from the Breeding Bird Survey and the Christmas Bird Count show a strong increase in abundance since about 1970. With such a large percentage of the global breeding population, Canada's responsibility for the American White Pelican is very high. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Until the 1960s, the American White Pelican suffered declines and range contractions linked to a range of human impacts. Hunting, flooding or drainage of water basins, disturbance of breeding and foraging sites by recreational activities, and pesticide contamination have all contributed to increased mortality and abandonment of nesting sites (Knopf and Evans 2004). Conservation efforts, reduced contaminant levels, and habitat protection likely contributed to the reversal in population trend. However, since birds are concentrated at nesting colonies during the breeding season, the species is particularly vulnerable to factors that can influence productivity such as human disturbance, changes in water levels, weather events, contaminants, and disease outbreaks (Knopf and Evans 2004, Sovada et al. 2008, Hamilton 2016, Jackson et al. 2016).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.