First Pelican Chicks in Over 360 Years Hatch in St James’s Park, London

For the first time in more than 360 years, pelican chicks have been born in St James’s Park in London. The first of four chicks hatched on 17 May, and all have now survived their first month, delighting the Royal Parks manager, Mark Wasilewski.

The park is home to six adult great white pelicans: two males named Sun and Moon, and four females named Star, Isla, Tiffany, and Gargi. Gargi has been a permanent resident since she was found in a garden in Southend in 1996.

Wasilewski noted that pelicans typically breed only in large groups of 10 to 12 or more, but the park never had more than six. Five eggs were laid in three nests, though it is unknown which female laid the eggs and which male fertilised them.

Initially, the chicks were black, featherless, with pointed bills, but they are now growing chestnut-brown down. In week one, they were the size of a pigeon; in week two, the size of a small duck; and the eldest is now about two feet tall. They are just beginning to waddle but remain vulnerable until they go onto the water with their parents at around 12 weeks old.

Visitors have been urged to give them space and avoid disturbance. The pelicans were enclosed on Duck Island during the avian flu outbreak earlier this year and were released on 9 April. Wasilewski joked that being cooped up together for weeks apparently led them to build a nest.