Van Cortlandt Park

The American White Pelican Graces Van Cortlandt Park In A Rare Holiday Treat

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 15, 2006
No. 121
http://www.nyc.gov/parks

On Wednesday, December 13, 2006, Parks Naturalist David Künstler spotted an American White Pelican (Pelecanus Erythrorhynchos) in Van Cortlandt Lake in the Bronx. It was first discovered early in the morning and was last seen in the evening.

This freshwater bird is rarely encountered on the East Coast. It is found in Florida during the winter. It is also found throughout much of the West, where it nests in widely scattered colonies.