Great White Pelican at the Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg (Germany)

The Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), also known as the Eastern White Pelican, Rosy Pelican or simply White Pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes. The Great White Pelican is a huge bird and only the Dalmatian Pelican is, on average, larger among pelicans. Adult Great White Pelicans have pure white plumage with pinkish legs. Juveniles are grey in colour and have dark flight feathers. They have short strong legs with webbed feet to help propel them in the water and aid in take-off. They are usually found in groups in and around shallow warm fresh water. Their diet consists mainly of fish and they prefer to feed in the early morning. A Great White Pelican does not dive to catch its prey, instead, it dips it head in unison with other birds to scoop fish into its huge throat pouch. In the breeding season, these birds have a pinkish colour, with usually yellow on the breast. The pelicans at Hagenbeck Zoo spend the summer in the outdoor enclosure, but as soon as it gets cold, they are drawn indoors to the heated quarters.

The Hagenbeck Zoo (Tierpark Hagenbeck) is a zoo in Stellingen, Hamburg, Germany. The collection began in 1863 with animals that belonged to Carl Hagenbeck Sr. (1810–1887), a fishmonger who became an amateur animal collector. The park itself was founded by Carl Hagenbeck Jr. (1844–1913) in 1907 and it is still operated and owned by the Hagenbeck family today. It is known for being the first zoo to use open enclosures surrounded by moats, rather than barred cages, to better approximate animals' natural environments. Over the years, the zoo has gained a good reputation for successfully breeding rare and endangered species such as the Asian Elephant and the Siberian Tiger.