Pelican chicks hatch in St Jamess Park for first time in centuries

Visitors to St Jamess Park in central London can now see young pelicans after chicks hatched in the royal park, the Daily Mail reported. Four baby birds were born in May 2026. Park manager Mark Wasilewski previously described the event as a breakthrough moment. [1]

The Daily Mail reports that the chicks represent the first successful hatching in the park in hundreds of years. One section of the report states that chicks have hatched for the first time in 360 years, while another passage in the same report cites 362 years. [1]

Pelicans were first introduced to the central London site in 1664 and have become some of the most famous residents of the park. Even though pelicans have lived in the area for more than 300 years, no chicks had ever been successfully hatched before this year. [1]

St Jamess Park is a 23 hectare royal park located in the City of Westminster. King Henry VIII originally enclosed the area in the 1530s to serve as a deer park near the Palace of Whitehall. Pelicans themselves are large water birds recognized by their long beaks and large throat pouches used to scoop up prey. [2][3]