Sandgrouse 22 (2): November 2000
The first Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens in Jordan

HADORAM SHIRIHAI, FARES KHOURY, SHARIF AL-JBOUR AND REUVEN YOSEF

	TWENTY-SIX YEARS AFTER THE FIRST first Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens was recorded at Eilat, in 1974 (Shirihai 1996), a second reached the site, in the evening of 20 April 2000. Found by Deniz Aygen and Magnus Hellström, of the International Birding and Research Center in Eilat (IBRCE), at the new freshwater bird pond (named Lake Anita) in the IBRCE Bird Sanctuary, it was observed there by many birders throughout May–June and into July (see below). From the first day the pelican caused confusion as to its identity, and controversy among observers. Some initially believed it to be an atypical Pink-backed Pelican, but most considered it a small, aberrant White Pelecanus onocrotalus or Dalmatian Pelican P. crispus. Subsequently, on the evening of 24 April, HS confirmed it as a strongly bleached, first-year Pink-backed Pelican (based on prior field experience in East Africa and his work on Shirihai et al. 1996). That evening HS saw the bird fly east over the international border to Aqaba sewage pools, in Jordan, and return to what became its favoured roosting site, Lake Anita. Pink-backed Pelican had not previously been recorded in Jordan. Fortunately, on 26 April, HS met FK and SA-J in Wadi Dana, Jordan, and informed them about the new record. They did not hesitate to join HS in travelling south to observe the species from within Jordan (see discussion of similar instances of new birds to Jordan being observed from Israel in Andrews et al. 1999). On 28 April it was successfully located on Aqaba sewage pools, a fitting end to a perfect piece of Middle Eastern collaboration. Here we describe the Eilat/Aqaba Pink-backed Pelican in detail, given that the strongly bleached, first-year plumage is not well known (Cramp & Simmons 1977). General notes concerning the species’ identification are also presented, as is a description of this individual’s behaviour.
DESCRIPTION
	Adult plumage in pelicans is acquired slowly and completed in the 4–5th calendar years (younger individuals retain some immature markings). Pink-backed and Dalmatian Pelicans exhibit relatively less conspicuous age-related variation. The three Western Palearctic species are distinguishable using a combination of size, underwing pattern, head shape, bill pattern (chiefly basal area) and other bare-part coloration, including the throat sac (pouch) and legs, which change little with age. Size varies considerably. Females are smaller than males and juveniles are usually smaller than adults; with wear and bleaching some upperwing characters and diagnostic facial markings are obscured to a certain degree, especially in young before their first complete moult (such as the Eilat/Aqaba bird). Pink-backed Pelican, including young and worn individuals, is generally drabber, greyer and less strongly patterned than White Pelican (thus approaching Dalmatian), but is usually noticeably smaller than these two species. All plumages have an inconspicuous darkish nape crest (neither drooping nor curly as in the other two species) that gives the rear head a triangular shape.  In all plumages the blunt forehead feathering reaches the upper-mandible base, like Dalmatian (i.e. the forehead feathering abuts the upper mandible in a broad, slightly concave line; White has much narrower feathering that tapers to a point at the bill base). Otherwise, in all plumages, Pink-backed has a variable pink tinge above, particularly to the undertail-coverts, although this may appear absent, especially in younger individuals.
DIAGNOSTIC BARE PARTS
	The very dark eye and loral patch, set within a small area of bare skin around the eye, which variably develops a blackish outer ring to the pale inner (orbital) eye-ring, impart a characteristic fixed-stare expression. Eye usually yellow or orange, but pinkish grey in non-breeding or young birds (such as the Eilat/Aqaba individual). Be aware that juvenile and other young birds (like the Eilat/Aqaba bird) have a less distinct facial pattern, lacking a black surround to the facial skin and have a dusky (not black) loral patch, which may appear almost absent.  Characteristically, usually has a paler bill and throat sac than White or Dalmatian, they being pale yellowish flesh, becoming yellow when breeding, and with a dark ribbing effect visible at close range. Moreover, bill and throat sac of juvenile (fresh and worn), and even non-breeding adult, are more subdued, with no hint of yellow, appearing very pale and washed out (like the Eilat/Aqaba individual). Legs pale, flesh-grey (as the Eilat/Aqaba bird) to orange, becoming pinkish red in breeding season adults.
	Plate 1-2. First-year Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens, Eilat, Israel, May 2000. (Hadoram Shirihai)
IN FLIGHT
	Usually clearly less heavy bodied and narrower winged and, in good overhead views, the outermost visible primary tips are relatively shorter in comparison to those of the larger species. Underwing pattern usually intermediate between White and Dalmatian, or reminiscent of juvenile/immature White, but much less contrasting appearance, with dusky-grey flight feathers and cinnamon-grey coverts, and characteristic broad pale central band (i.e. a whitish greater covert-band through centre of wing, unlike White but not dissimilar to Dalmatian). Moreover, Pink-backed, in juvenile and non-breeding adult plumages with greyish-white coverts, may recall non-juvenile White, but flight feathers not as dark and possess less contrasting overall effect. Note that juvenile remiges, unlike those of adult, are more variegated with contrasting dark inner webs, while immatures are intermediate. Bicoloured remiges never occur in White, but are not unlike those of Dalmatian, and unlike White, Pink-backed still possesses the characteristic pale central band on the underwing-coverts.
AT ALL AGES
	At all ages, but particularly in young birds, tends to have rather marked whitish uppertail-coverts/rump, extending well onto back and mantle, and contrasting with darker scapulars and tail. Upperwing pattern similar to young Dalmatian, but pale pinkish-grey (adult) or brownish-grey (juvenile) coverts, with darker grey flight feathers (always exhibiting less contrast than either White or Dalmatian). However, older juveniles, with strong wear and bleaching (as in the Eilat/Aqaba individual), often possess strongly abraded coverts, especially on the outer and rear lesser coverts, creating a confusingly strong upperwing contrast, sometimes manifest as a broad whitish band or carpal bar running parallel to, and just above, the median coverts.  Otherwise, juveniles are relatively browner above, but not dissimilar from non-breeding adults (and juvenile Dalmatian); and have a dark brown tail, while immatures are similar, but less brownish, with greyer cast above (see also flight).
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
	The species breeds throughout sub-Saharan wetlands and in coastal Africa/south-west Arabia, north to 23oN, and is known to disperse in the non-breeding seasons, or undertake limited migrations. Though recorded in neighbouring Israel, and Egypt, where it is a rare but regular non-breeding summer visitor to the extreme south (Goodman & Meininger 1989), this is the first Jordan record. This is the eighth Israeli record since 1939, of which five were reported in Shirihai (1996), with two subsequent records (A. Gantz and HS pers. obs). Most have been recorded at wetlands within the Rift Valley. The Israeli records exhibit a pattern of oversummering by young birds, which may remain for up to three months and form daily routines of moving between roosting and feeding sites (see below). In the north-east Israeli valleys, the most favoured habitat is shallow fish ponds, partially empty and usually surrounded by reeds, making the Eilat/Aqaba bird’s choice of summering location appear relatively impoverished..
GENERAL BEHAVIOUR IN EILAT
	Lake Anita has a healthy population of the fish Telapia mozamiqus that attract species such as Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo and Grey Heron Ardea cinerea. The pelican roosted on an artificial island in the south part of the pool, in the company of Cormorants. It foraged throughout the day in the freshwater lake, or perched on a rocky lookout in a saltwater pond c. 50 metres to the south. Interactions were noted with Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus and Spur-winged Plover Vanellus spinosus. Initially, the last three species, which were at the peak of their breeding in the immediate area, mobbed the pelican, but became immune to its presence within two weeks. The bird left the Bird Sanctuary when disturbed by human activity. Large groups of birders that were especially noisy or attempted to approach it for photographic purposes generally caused it to depart. On several occasions it flew into Jordan and settled on the sewage pools, or in one of the ditches in no-man’s-land, on the international boundary between the two countries. It invariably returned towards dusk to roost on Lake Anita, and was last observed on 13 July 2000.
REFERENCES
	ANDREWS, I. J., KHOURY, F. AND SHIRIHAI, H. (1999) Jordan bird report 1995–97. Sandgrouse 21: 10–35  CRAMP, S. AND SIMMONS, K. E. L. (Eds.) (1977) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press.  GOODMAN, S. M. AND MEININGER, P. L. (1989) The birds of Egypt. Oxford University Press. SHIRIHAI, H. (1996) The birds of Israel. Academic Press, London. SHIRIHAI, H., CHRISTIE, D. A. AND HARRIS, A. (1996) The Macmillan birders’ guide to European and Middle Eastern birds. Macmillan, London. Hadoram Shirihai, c/o M. San Roman, Ausserdorfstrasse 6, 8052 Zurich, Switzerland. Fares Khoury and Sharif Al-Jbour, Research and Survey Section, Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, P. O. Box 6354, 11183 Amman, Jordan. Reuven Yosef, International Birding & Research Centre in Eilat, P. O. Box 774, Eilat 88000, Israel.