The Dalmatian pelican was driven to extinction in medieval times and has been missing from our shores for thousands of years – but there’s now a chance it might return.
Nature restoration company RESTORE has been conducting studies into whether the largest bird to have ever lived in Britain might be reintroduced to British wetlands in sites across the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, Essex marshes and Somerset Levels. ‘Experts are of the view Britain is definitely worth exploring further [as to] whether the Dalmatian pelican could be reintroduced,’ says Benedict Macdonald from RESTORE.
The Dalmatian pelican is one of Europe’s largest flying birds, with a wingspan of up to three metres. They require suitable nesting areas, abundant fish stocks and healthy, well-connected wetland habitats.
The Dalmatian pelican was wiped out in Britain due to a combination of wetland drainage and human disturbance. According to fossil records, they were particularly common in Somerset, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire and Yorkshire. These days, there are believed to be between 10,000 and 20,000 of them left in the world, with the largest colony found at Lake Mikri Prespa in Greece.
As the bird eats around 1.2kg of fish in a day, there has been opposition to this introduction from the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, warning that the reintroduction of the bird might harm fishing stocks.
But the bird’s return to our shores could encourage the large-scale restoration and protection of wetland habitats, Rewilding Britain has suggested. ‘The Dalmatian pelican acts as an ambassador for a rich and interconnected wetland system in this part of Europe,’ says Laurien Holtjer. ‘As an iconic indicator species, supporting the comeback of the Dalmatian pelican can indirectly help to restore vast swathes of wetland, lake and marshy habitat that is likely to have a positive ripple effect on a multitude of other species.’
