The breeding colony of the Dalmatian Pelican in the Srebarna Biosphere Reserve is one of the few ones in Europe and unique for Bulgaria. It is the last colony remaining in the region of the Lower Danube where several pelican colonies had existed until the end of the 19^th century.

Since 1988 long-term investigations showed that the main reason for the relatively low number of the breeding pairs and low breeding success in the colony was the lack of sufficient space for breeding. Among other reasons was the loss and deterioration of the feeding grounds both in Lake Srebarna and in the Romanian wetlands along the left bank of the Danube as well as easier access of terrestrial predators (jackals, foxes and wild boars).