brown pelican
noun
: a pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) of American coasts that has a brownish body and a chiefly white or white with yellow head
Examples of brown pelican in a Sentence
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Nature lovers will find an abundance of places to explore: Nearby McKee Botanical Garden brims with tropical plants (look for water lilies blooming in its streams), while Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge serves as a home for brown pelicans and other migrating avians.
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Kara Franker, Southern Living, 19 June 2025
Anacapa also is home to the largest brown pelican rookery in the United States.
—Paul Bersebach, Oc Register, 4 June 2025
Even with their long beaks and dives from up to 100 feet in the air, brown pelicans are too buoyant to get much deeper than six feet into the water, Bergeron said, suggesting their strandings may be a sign of bigger problems to come.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
The sight of brown pelicans diving headfirst into the ocean in pursuit of a meal represents one of the distinctive visual images of the California coast, their dramatic flight the highlight of a predatory mission.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
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Kara Franker, Southern Living, 19 June 2025
Anacapa also is home to the largest brown pelican rookery in the United States.
—Paul Bersebach, Oc Register, 4 June 2025
Even with their long beaks and dives from up to 100 feet in the air, brown pelicans are too buoyant to get much deeper than six feet into the water, Bergeron said, suggesting their strandings may be a sign of bigger problems to come.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
The sight of brown pelicans diving headfirst into the ocean in pursuit of a meal represents one of the distinctive visual images of the California coast, their dramatic flight the highlight of a predatory mission.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brown pelican
Cite this Entry
“Brown pelican.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20pelican. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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