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

Recent Examples on the Web
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Look out for brown pelicans, tricolor herons, reddish egrets, wood storks, and many other unique species. Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2026 Fall through spring is the best time to see migratory white pelicans and nesting brown pelicans. Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026 These birds included black-necked stilts, Canada geese, mallard ducks and western gulls, as well as a single gadwall, double-crested cormorant, brown pelican, Egyptian goose, Brewer’s blackbird and California gull. Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 9 June 2026 From January through April, the department received 295 reports of dead birds submitted through its website: 193 for Brandt’s cormorants, 68 for common murres and the remaining 34 for a combination of brown pelicans, grebes and loons. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for brown pelican

Word History

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brown pelican was in 1780

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Cite this Entry

“Brown pelican.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20pelican. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.

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