Formerly surveyed at the scale of individual breeding colonies, the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) now provides the most reliable trend data for the American White Pelican (Knopf and Evans 2004). The total number of Canadian nests rose from ~14,000 in the late 1960s to ~53,000 in the mid-1980s (Knopf and Evans 2004); results from the BBS indicate that this strong growth has continued. Results from the Christmas Bird Count also suggest an increase across North America, particularly since the mid-1980s, with individual colonies expanding (e.g., Lake of the Woods, Ontario; Peck 2007b) and new ones appearing (Pekarik et al. 2009). There seems to be little doubt that the population has experienced a large increase since about 1970. The American White Pelican is currently at an acceptable level relative to its national population goal (see BBS Canada graph below).
Additional information on: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis
Additional information on: Christmas Bird Count (CBC)
