{"id":5385658,"date":"2025-11-19T16:06:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T16:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.life.com\/?p=5385658"},"modified":"2025-11-19T16:06:34","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T16:06:34","slug":"meet-peter-the-pelican-mascot-of-mykonos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.life.com\/destinations\/meet-peter-the-pelican-mascot-of-mykonos\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Peter, the Pelican Mascot of Mykonos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Since the 1950s the Greek island of<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mykonos\"> Mykonos<\/a>, a popular tourist spot, has had a mascot that is as beloved as it is peculiar-looking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is a pelican named <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Petros_(pelican)\">Petros<\/a>, also know as Peter. He <a href=\"https:\/\/kinglikeconcierge.com\/peter-the-pelican-mykonos\">first came to Mykonos<\/a> when a local fisherman found the wounded bird and brought him home for nursing. Peter soon became a local character on <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mykonos\">the tiny island<\/a>, which is only 33 square miles in size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photographs taken by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.life.com\/photographer\/james-burke\/\">LIFE photographer James Burke<\/a> in 1961 show Peter amusing beachgoers on the shore, cavorting about town and spending time with a fisherman. Because Burke&#8217;s photos were taken for a story that never ran in LIFE, we can&#8217;t be sure if that fisherman is the one who rescued Peter. But that would make sense because the two seem awfully attached to each other. In some photos Peter and the fisherman are nose-to-beak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a pelican, his long beak is Peter&#8217;s most distinctive physical characteristic. Pelicans, with their particular shape, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scienceofbirds.com\/blog\/pelicans-family-pelecanidae\">are excellent fishing birds who thrive near water,<\/a> so an island in the Aegean sea was an ideal place for Peter to make a home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Peter died in 1985 after being hit by a car, and one obituary hailed him as &#8220;the world&#8217;s most famous pelican.&#8221; By then the bird had become ingrained in Mykonos&#8217; identity, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mykonosbeachesguide.com\/attractions\/pelicans.html\">several pelicans were brought in to replace Peter<\/a>, including one that was donated by former First Lady <a href=\"https:\/\/www.life.com\/people\/jackie-kennedy-in-the-sixties-classic-photos-of-an-american-icon\/\">Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So visitors to Mykonos today can still take photos with a friendly pelican.<\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_da74d4de202f76c80c9e69778cc0814e\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385671 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200951\/115329975-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_c029b63e0276ff20e6d76cbfd3e4c096\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385684 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201033\/115330810-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_6cbb6b376ade5d7ec472462c72afb126\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385686 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201040\/115337097-1024x677.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_0f6ecd51c2dc37779ab96fad2589fee5\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385685 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201037\/115330859-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_8852881608f2b8eb794cfdb77568ba80\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385681 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201023\/115330559-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_95c919b8fcca99d21e89541a97a535fc\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385659 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200904\/00859806-1024x784.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_96df19c8b1bb7093ee7f7d25bc796de1\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385680 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201020\/115330521-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_1b95cf92a21ea9eed712aaf38fb2dc05\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385678 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201014\/115330427-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_82c91a9729a690610afeefd36118d046\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385668 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200941\/00859816-752x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_a2b774ac5757bc17c86ad683df0dd9d1\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385674 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201000\/115330175-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_175a70928ec35d624f751e35ca29da6d\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385676 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201007\/115330387-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_3f045e297d8fce2f8df066eab2c6a251\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385665 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200930\/00859812-690x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_9ed9fe47c540e0849ce70a77be69e3ee\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385663 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter the Pelican napped while standing on the island of Mykonos, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200922\/00859810-1024x772.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter the Pelican napped while standing on the island of Mykonos, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_64e5e5af85c407a878be0ac035d90ef0\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385661 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200913\/00859808-1024x777.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_740248a0dbc890edcfdcf43b91b618c4\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385677 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201010\/115330400-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_864808eab24802e0e3749805a619c308\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385664 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200926\/00859811-1024x742.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_aac76972acdae541155d8f57b117b6c2\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385670 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200947\/115329974-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_847a00ba027ee29bfa931ddcb8325df0\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385667 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200938\/00859815-699x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_471e116c2e21af13449fa0a5614d4a3a\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385662 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18200917\/00859809-699x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<blockquote id=\"single-block_d916681ec22c43ebec67213cece9ff23\" class=\"single-image \">\n    <section>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" data=\"block-image\" data-id=5385675 desc=\"\" caption=\"James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock\" title=\"Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#039;s mascot, 1961.\" src=\"https:\/\/static.life.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18201004\/115330333-1024x680.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                <div class=\"image-info\">\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island&#8217;s mascot, 1961.<\/p>\n            <p class=\"image-caption\">James Burke\/Life Picture Collection\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since the 1950s the Greek island of Mykonos, a popular tourist spot, has had a mascot that is as beloved as it is peculiar-looking. He is a pelican named Petros, also know as Peter. He first came to Mykonos when a local fisherman found the wounded bird and brought him home for nursing. Peter soon &#8230; <a title=\"Meet Peter, the Pelican Mascot of Mykonos\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.life.com\/destinations\/meet-peter-the-pelican-mascot-of-mykonos\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":5385661,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,27],"tags":[770,907,2655,2656,2657],"class_list":["post-5385658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","category-nature","tag-greece","tag-james-burke","tag-mykonos","tag-pelicans","tag-peter-the-pelican"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Meet Peter, the Pelican Mascot of Mykonos - LIFE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.life.com\/destinations\/meet-peter-the-pelican-mascot-of-mykonos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet Peter, the Pelican Mascot of Mykonos - LIFE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Since the 1950s the Greek island of Mykonos, a popular tourist spot, has had a mascot that is as beloved as it is peculiar-looking. He is a pelican named Petros, also know as Peter. He first came to Mykonos when a local fisherman found the wounded bird and brought him home for nursing. Peter soon ... 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