Historic Pelican Hatch in St James’s Park
Pelicans have been a feature of St James’s Park since 1664, when the Russian ambassador presented King Charles II with a pair shortly before the Great Fire of London. Despite their long presence, these birds had never bred in the park—until now.
On 17 May, the first of four pelican chicks hatched, marking the first successful breeding in over 360 years. All four chicks have survived their first month, much to the excitement of Royal Parks manager Mark Wasilewski.
“This really is a first for us,” he said. “We’re gobsmacked.”
Currently, six adult great white pelicans reside in the park: two males named Sun and Moon, and four females named Star, Isla, Tiffany, and Gargi.
“Pelicans normally only breed when they’re in large groups of 10, 12 or more,” said Wasilewski. “We’ve always had between two and six – never a great number – and as the pelicans have passed away, we’ve decided when it’s time to bring in some more … just to keep that tradition going, which we think is a really important tradition for St James’s Park.”
Five eggs were laid across three nests. Eight-year-old Star and 30-year-old Gargi, described as an “elderly female pelican,” have been sharing incubation duties on one nest. Wasilewski noted,
“One of the two males must have impregnated one of them, but unfortunately we don’t know which of the two actually laid the eggs. And we don’t know which dad has played around.”
Gargi has been a permanent resident since 1996, when she was found in a garden in Southend. She has occasionally been seen flying to London Zoo in Regent’s Park to steal fish.
Expert Care and Chick Development
Wasilewski is collaborating with Blackpool Zoo, the Royal Veterinary College, ZSL, and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust to provide expert care for the chicks. He described their appetite as ferocious, which is encouraging for their growth.
“They’re ever so ugly,” he said. “Someone said they look a little like dinosaurs. They’re completely black, they’re featherless and already they’ve got the little pointed bills.”
The chicks are starting to grow a soft chestnut-brown down but will not develop feathers until they are eight or nine weeks old. They have just begun to waddle around their nests but remain vulnerable until they take to the water with their parents at about 12 weeks old. Visitors have been advised to give the birds space and avoid disturbing them.
Wasilewski highlighted their rapid growth:
“They’re growing at an enormously fast rate. Week one: they were the size of a pigeon. Week two: they were the size of a very small duck. We were looking at the eldest one and we think it’s probably about 2ft high now already.”
He reflected on the significance of the hatchings:
“When the first egg hatched, our wildest dreams were fulfilled. We were always hoping that something like that would happen but we never really thought it would. It’s absolutely delightful … with the world as it is, to see something like this. It’s nature at its best.”
Wildlife officers have particularly enjoyed observing the mothers nestling their young under their wings.
Pelican History and Recent Events
Earlier this year, during an avian flu outbreak, the pelicans were enclosed on Duck Island for their safety and were released on 9 April. Shortly after, on 13 April, staff discovered the birds were building nests.
“So when you’re cooped on Duck Island with nothing to do for several weeks, we know now what they do,” Wasilewski said. “There was no television to watch.”
