A new international study presents the first comprehensive genetic analysis of the Dalmatian pelican

A new international study published in Avian Research presents the first comprehensive genetic analysis of the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) across the species’ entire range — from Southeastern Europe to Central Asia. The study involved scientists and conservationists from 10 countries, including Bulgaria, and among the co-authors is a PhD student at the National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences — Svilen Cheshmedzhiev, who is a member of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) and the BirdLife Bulgaria.

The research is based on genetic samples collected from 299 Dalmatian pelicans between 2019 and 2025 across 15 breeding colonies — from the Balkans and Turkey to Russia and Mongolia. Bulgaria is represented by samples from the country’s largest breeding colony, located in the Kalimok-Brashlen Protected Area near the town of Tutrakan.

Through analyses of mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers, the researchers found that the species possesses relatively low genetic diversity throughout its range. According to the authors, this is likely the result of both historical processes linked to the last Ice Age and the dramatic population decline during the 19th and 20th centuries caused by wetland drainage, disturbance and direct human persecution.

The results also show that breeding colonies exhibit weak but detectable genetic structuring. A relationship was found between geographic distance and genetic differences among colonies, suggesting that the exchange of individuals occurs gradually between neighbouring populations. Nevertheless, the active movement of birds between wetlands continues to maintain genetic connectivity across much of the species’ range.

The analyses further suggest that the current distribution of the Dalmatian pelican began after the Last Glacial Maximum around 20,000 years ago, when the species likely survived in areas around the Black Sea and the Ponto-Caspian region before gradually expanding its range towards Europe and Central Asia.

The authors of the study highlights the importance of international cooperation for wetland conservation and the implementation of effective conservation measures for the long-term preservation of this threatened and iconic species.