Pelican
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Pelican
Pelicans are large water birds that belong to the family Pelecanidae. They are known for their long beaks and large throat pouches, which they use to catch and drain water from their prey before swallowing. Pelicans are found in warm climates around the world, including the continental USA, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Australia, and parts of Asia. They have predominantly pale plumage, with the exception of the brown and Peruvian pelicans. All species of pelicans have bills, pouches, and bare facial skin that become brightly colored before the breeding season. The eight living pelican species vary in size, with the smallest being the brown pelican and the largest being the goliath heron. Pelicans are social birds and often form large colonies. They are excellent swimmers and divers, and can stay underwater for up to 30 seconds while hunting for fish. Pelicans are also known for their spectacular group fishing technique, where they work together to herd fish into shallow water before scooping them up with their pouches. The word pelican has a rich linguistic and morphological history. It is derived from the Latin word for little, pelecanus, likely a representation of the diminutive size of the pelicans when compared with other aquatic birds. The word has evolved over the centuries from pelicannus to pelican in English, and is used extensively in both popular and formal contexts to refer to the various species of water birds belonging to the family Pelecanidae.
Pelecanidae, beak, pouch, plumage, social, swimming, diving, fishing, linguistic, morphological
CITATION : "Anthony Smith. 'Pelican.' Design+Encyclopedia. https://design-encyclopedia.com/define/pelican?E=275827 (Accessed on October 13, 2026)"
Pelican
The term Pelican is designated as a noun, specifically as a proper noun which is a name for a species of bird. Synonyms include garganey, cormorant and gannet. Antonyms range from grasshopper, warbler and honeycreeper. Cognates from other languages would depend on the language, but examples from Spanish might include alcatraz and gaviota, and from French, pelican and cormoran. There are variants of the word such as Pelikan and pelicano, but the most common variant is the original spelling.
Etymology, morphology, linguistics, birds, avian, taxonomy.
Pelican
The word 'Pelican' has a rich linguistic and morphological history. It is derived from the Latin word for 'little', 'pelecanus'. This is likely a representation of the diminutive size of the pelicans when compared with other aquatic birds. It first appeared in a 13th century Anglo-Norman document as 'pelicannus' and was used to refer to a type of 'sea-fowl'. Over the course of the following centuries, the word evolved to 'pelican' in English and has been used extensively in both popular and formal contexts to refer to the various species of water birds belonging to the family Pelecanidae. Morphologically speaking, the word is comprised of two suffixes, '-can' and '-us', which are used to denote a sense of belonging and origin, respectively. The pragmatics of the word 'Pelican' have shifted the context of usage from a scientific and descriptive term to one of a more general connotation that can be seen in many popular contexts.
Etymology, Morphology, Word, Origin, Linguistic, Pragmatics
Pelican
A pelican is a large aquatic bird that lives in warm climates. It is identifiable by its large bill, which it uses to scoop up its prey from the water. It can be found in various parts of the world, including continental USA, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Australia, and parts of Asia. In other languages, the word for Pelican can be varied. For example, in Spanish it is Pelicano, in French Pélican, in Italian Pelican, in German Pelikan, in Dutch Pelikaan, in Mandarin 秋沙鵖 and in Japanese ガンギイョウ. There is an array of other language words for Pelican, that can be found online with a quick search.
Pelican equivalents such as Pélican, Pelicano, Pelikan, Pelikaan, 秋沙鵖, ガンギイョウ, aquatic bird, large bill, scoop up prey, USA, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Australia, Asia, language words, quick search
Pelican
Pelicans are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterised by a long beak and large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped up contents before swallowing. They have predominantly pale plumage, the exceptions being the brown and Peruvian pelicans. The bills, pouches, and bare facial skin of all species become brightly colored before the breeding season. The eight living pelican species have a range of sizes, with the smallest being the brown pelican and the largest being the goliath heron.
Pelican, Waterbird, Plumage, Bill, Pouch, Breeding, Prey, Goliath Heron.
Pelican on Design+Encyclopedia
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