10/02/2026
Pelicans in Kansas? You heard that right! 🦢🌾
If you've been around any of the large bodies of water in and around Lawrence over the past few weeks and noticed a large white bird with a huge bill, you may have spotted an American White Pelican!
And if you've been visiting Clinton Lake, keep an especially close eye on the water and sky—you may be lucky enough to spot one of these impressive birds stopping here during its fall migration.
It might seem surprising to see pelicans here in Kansas, but our state is an important stop along their migration route. American White Pelicans are long-distance travelers, moving between their breeding and wintering grounds each year and relying on lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and wetlands along the way to rest and refuel.
🦢 Why are pelicans in Kansas?
As the seasons change, American White Pelicans migrate across much of the central United States. Kansas sits in a region where these birds can stop during their travels, making our waterways valuable places for them to enjoy a break, find food, and conserve energy before continuing their journey.
Clinton Lake is one of many places where you may encounter them here in the Lawrence area. During fall migration, you may see pelicans gathering in groups on the water or soaring overhead. Large numbers sometimes can appear together, particularly where good feeding and resting habitat is available.
And these are BIG birds! American White Pelicans can have wingspans of 8–10 feet, so a group of them gliding overhead can be quite a sight.
Built for a long journey
One of the most impressive things about pelicans is how efficiently they can travel. Their broad wings allow them to soar on rising columns of warm air called thermals. Instead of constantly flapping, they can circle upward and then glide for long distances, conserving precious energy along the way.
If you see a group of pelicans circling high above a lake, they may be using these air currents to help them travel.
Their migration isn't simply a straight trip from point A to point B, either. Stopover sites are critical. During a long migration, birds need places to rest, drink, and find enough food to replenish the energy they've used in flight. Healthy wetlands and lakes throughout Kansas can provide exactly those resources.
And how do they eat?
American White Pelicans primarily eat fish and often feed in shallow water. Unlike Brown Pelicans, which are famous for diving from the air to catch fish, American White Pelicans usually stay on the surface.
They can also cooperate while feeding. Groups of pelicans may swim together and herd fish into shallower water, where they can scoop them up with their enormous bills.
That expandable throat pouch may look like a giant food storage bag, but it's actually used to scoop up prey and water. The pelican then drains the water before swallowing its meal.
Look up and look closely!
The next time you're walking around Clinton Lake or another Kansas lake, keep an eye on the water and the sky. You might see a pelican resting on the surface, feeding with a group, or soaring overhead as it continues its seasonal journey.
Their presence is a great reminder that the habitats we enjoy here in Kansas are connected to ecosystems across an entire continent. A lake here in Lawrence can be just one stop along an incredible migration journey spanning hundreds or even thousands of miles.
So, if you see what looks like a giant white bird floating on a Kansas lake, you're not imagining it!
