Pelicans in Petatán

Thousands of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) winter on Lake Chapala. They arrive from Ontario, Canada in November and stay until late March. The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society has a handy card with info on this bird; click here to download the PDF file.

The town of Petatán, Michoacán, on the south shore of the lake about 10km east of the Jalisco-Michoacán border, is home to several fishing businesses. In the afternoons around 4 - 5pm, after filleting the fish, the remains are dumped into the lake and the pelicans gather in their thousands to feed.

Getting There

Petatán is on highway 15 on the south side of the lake about 10km east of the Jalisco/Michoacán state border, and about 80km from Jocotepec. Approaching from the west the town is clearly visible from the highway, on a promontory about 0.5 mile down an unpaved road; there is a (small) sign on the main road.

The birds gather to feed in the afternoons from November through March, get there by 4pm. The fisheries work daily except Sundays.