Pelecanus crispus, commonly known as the Dalmatian pelican is common in swamps and small lakes of South Eastern Europe, Asia and China regions. Its nest is usually a haphazard bunch of plants. The Dalmatian pelican is the largest of all pelicans, and the heaviest flying species in the world. The characteristic difference of the Dalmatian pelican from the white pelican is its feathers on the back of the neck, which are curled. It has grey legs and grayish to whitish feathers. During the mating and breeding season, its lower jaws are usually red.

The young and immature Dalmatian pelicans are grey in colour, and they do not have the pink spot on the face around the eye like the one characteristic of young white pelicans. Their wing feathers are brighter, as compared to those of the white pelicans. This pelican is known to move for relatively shorter distances, and it flies elegantly and with a lot of style. When flying, the Dalmatian pelicans usually move in groups, and the flock flies in symmetrical and very well coordinated patterns. The neck of this pelican is drawn back in flight like that of a heron.

As is the case for the other pelicans, Dalmatian pelicans trap their prey, particularly fish, and small birds, by use of their large pouches on the beak. The Dalmatian pelican population has seen a huge decline particularly as a result of habitat destruction and hunting, especially in Europe. These pelicans prefer huge water bodies with lots of reeds and plenty of fish, but they can also be found in smaller water bodies with sparse plants. For breeding, they often go to inaccessible lakes, and in estuaries.

As compared to the white pelicans, the Dalmatian pelicans breed in smaller groups. However, both the male and female participate in construction of the nest, usually made of reeds. The most common type of nests for these pelicans is the one that floats on water. The number of eggs slept on varies from two to four, and the number of clutches in a group could be anything from a single one to a maximum of six. The incubation of eggs is usually a preserve of the females, and it lasts from between thirty to forty days.

It is not uncommon to see Dalmatian pelicans in the company of white pelicans, and this type of grouping is able to hunt for fish at various depth levels of water. During the winter season, Dalmatian pelicans often migrate towards Iraq, Pakistan and the Indian regions. Although the breeding zone of the Dalmatian pelican was wider in the past, this area has lately declined sharply, and the present population of the Dalmatian pelicans is smaller, but said to be stable. As a result of water pollution which has led to imbalance of their habitat and decline in numbers of fish, this species of pelicans has been largely affected, hence disturbing their distribution and population. As a result, their numbers have been getting smaller and smaller.