Wildlife of Everywhere

Where to see the Spot-billed Pelican

Pelecanus philippensis · bird · Pelecanidae

Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) is recorded in 88 protected areas and wildlife sites across 6 countries in our database. The places with the strongest evidence are Pallikaranai Marsh (India), Kaziranga National Park (India) and Boeung Tonle Sap Protected Area (Cambodia).

88places
6countries
3trip reports
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Spot-billed Pelican
Photo: William Stephens (CC BY 4.0)

Where is the best place to see the Spot-billed Pelican?

Based on GBIF records and our guides, the best-documented places to see the Spot-billed Pelican are Pallikaranai Marsh (India), Kaziranga National Park (India) and Boeung Tonle Sap Protected Area (Cambodia). Most sites are in India (56), Sri Lanka (21) and Thailand (7). It appears in 3 trip reports in our library.

Top 25 places for the Spot-billed Pelican

#PlaceCountryGBIF recordsYearsEvidence
1Pallikaranai MarshIndia5,0942008–2024Recorded on GBIF
2Kaziranga National ParkIndia3,8111971–2024Recorded on GBIF
3Boeung Tonle Sap Protected AreaCambodia1,5861992–2026Recorded on GBIF
4Yala National ParkSri Lanka1,2941975–2026Recorded on GBIF
5Pulicat Bird SanctuaryIndia9481991–2024Recorded on GBIF
6Udawalawe National ParkSri Lanka6541991–2026Recorded on GBIF
7Nanjarayan Tank Bird SanctuaryIndia5542012–2024Recorded on GBIF
8Koothankulam Bird SanctuaryIndia4851993–2024Recorded on GBIF
9Vedanthangal Bird SanctuaryIndia4531975–2024Recorded on GBIF
10Pulicat Lake Bird SanctuaryIndia3901981–2024Recorded on GBIF
11Kazhuveli Bird SanctuaryIndia3302007–2024Recorded on GBIF
12Manas National ParkIndia2812013–2024Recorded on GBIF
13Manas Tiger ReserveIndia2812013–2024Recorded on GBIF
14Wilpattu National ParkSri Lanka2331980–2026Recorded on GBIF
15Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird SanctuaryIndia1971984–2024Recorded on GBIF
16Oussudu Bird SanctuaryIndia1642011–2024Recorded on GBIF
17Attidiya Bird SanctuarySri Lanka1591983–2024Recorded on GBIF
18Kolleru Bird SanctuaryIndia1422009–2025Recorded on GBIF
19Ranganthittu Bird SanctuaryIndia1272009–2026Recorded on GBIF
20Guindy National ParkIndia1262009–2024Recorded on GBIF
21Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation ReserveIndia1232008–2024Recorded on GBIF
22Karaivetti Bird SanctuaryIndia1202008–2024Recorded on GBIF
23Kumana National ParkSri Lanka1162003–2024Recorded on GBIF
24Minneriya National ParkSri Lanka1111988–2025Recorded on GBIF
25Nalbana Bird SanctuaryIndia1062012–2024Recorded on GBIF

63 more places in the interactive map.

By country

India: 56, Sri Lanka: 21, Thailand: 7, Cambodia: 2, Myanmar: 1 and Nepal: 1.

Seen on trips

The Spot-billed Pelican is recorded in these trip reports:

Tours that have recorded it

In our guides

Read the full species account in our Sumatra guide, Sri Lanka guide, India guide, Thailand guide.

Take it with you

Build a free printable field guide or e-book for any of these places, with photos and a checklist.

Make a field guide for Pallikaranai Marsh

Photo: William Stephens, CC BY 4.0.

GBIF downloads: India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal.

Data last updated 2026-11-05. Species–place links come from GBIF occurrence downloads (GBIF.org) matched to protected-area boundaries from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) and other open boundary sources, plus places listed by our own guides. Record counts are what has been reported to GBIF, not population sizes. Reptiles and amphibians are never shown at park level. How this database works · Data sources and limits.