If you have visited St James Park - between Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and the Houses of Parliament - you will have seen the resident pelicans. They are not shy and will often wander along the paths near the lake and try and get treats from visitors.

Why Are There Pelicans Here?

This area was a deer park and hunting land for King Henry VIII in the 1500s. When James I became king in 1603 he kept more exotic animals here in the park that included camels, crocodiles and an elephant.

There were also aviaries of exotic birds along what is now Birdcage Walk.

After the English Civil War and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II re-landscaped the park in a formal French style. The first pelicans were brought to St James's Park in 1664 as a gift from the Russian Ambassador and pelicans are still offered to the park by foreign ambassadors today.

How Many Pelicans?

There are currently four Eastern (or Great) White Pelicans living near Duck Island at St James's Park. All have been bred in captivity.

What Do They Eat?

Visitors are actually asked not to feed the pelicans, or pigeons or any birds in the park, but that point is missed by most people.

These lucky pelicans are fed 12lb (5.4kg) of fish a day, plus a vitamin supplement.

In more recent years there have been more sightings, and videos uploaded by shocked tourists, of pelicans eating live pigeons. This is opportunistic behavior as, simply, pigeons look like food to them. But, this is still unusual and these pelicans are generally happy with their daily fish.

 

What Time is the Daily Feeding?

Head to Duck Island at the east end of St James's Park Lake, near Horse Guard's Parade, to see the pelicans receive their daily fish between 2.30pm and 3pm daily.

A member of Royal Parks staff comes out from the cottage (Park Office) with a large bucket or bowl and throws the fish individually to each pelican to ensure all get their fair share.

It's fine to take photos and to watch the feeding but please don't ask to throw a fish yourself as that's not allowed. If staff have time they can answer some questions when they have finished feeding the pelicans but while they are throwing the fish let them do their job as they are also assessing the pelicans at the same time.

Did you Know?

The collective noun for pelicans is a scoop.