pelican

American  

[pel-i-kuhn] / ˈpɛl ɪ kən /

noun

• pelicans
  plural

1. any of several large, totipalmate, fish-eating birds of the family Pelecanidae, having a large bill with a distensible pouch.

2. a still or retort with two tubes that leave the body from the neck, curve in opposite directions, and reenter the body through the belly.

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pelican British  

/ ˈpɛlɪkən /

noun

1. any aquatic bird of the tropical and warm water family Pelecanidae, such as P. onocrotalus ( white pelican ): order Pelecaniformes. They have a long straight flattened bill, with a distensible pouch for engulfing fish

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pelicans
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pelican

before 1000; Middle English pellican, Old English < Late Latin pelicānus, variant of pelecān < Greek pelekā́n

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Explanation

A pelican is a huge waterbird with an enormous pouch under its long beak. Pelicans prefer warm places, and Florida is a great place to see both white and brown varieties. Pelican comes from Greek roots, pelekan and pelekys, "ax," which somewhat describes the shape of a pelican's bill, with its downturned hook at the end. The most distinctive thing about a pelican is its throat pouch, which it efficiently uses to scoop up fish and drain water before swallowing. The brown pelican is the state bird of Louisiana, a fact that inspired the name of New Orleans' NBA team, the Pelicans.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pelican pelicans

Cyclists use one side of the four-lane highway while pedestrians stroll the other, often with pelican formations flying overhead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Olsi produced some binoculars and showed me egrets, plovers, ducks, cormorants, bee-eaters, a pelican.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

A few scenes later, a pelican switches on a cotton candy machine with its bill, sending hot sugar whirring through the air — seriously — and I nearly applauded in delight.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

On the day of the accident, she had illegally parked her car on a pelican crossing before attempting to perform a U-turn.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2024

Pelicarnassus shouted, and the two great metal wings of the giant robot pelican suit swooped around and shot missiles at them.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

He has described the prehistoric-looking Dalmatian pelicans, which “have eyes of such tremulous glacial depths—the bluish-gray sclera like an ice sheet being cored by the black iris—that they appear to hold entire worlds inside them.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Some cranes, pelicans, and vultures weighing between 8kg and 21.5kg have hatchlings ranging from 110g to around 357g, corresponding to neonate-adult body mass ratios of about 1.3% to 4.5%.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Exhibits for lions, bears, sea lions and pelicans have closed because they need major renovations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

But experts warn the sprawling salt flats of Montenegro's Ulcinj salina, a vital stop-off for migrating flamingos, pelicans and other species, is fading fast.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Lupita could spy some pelicans out fishing, diving awkwardly into the sea.

From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty

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