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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Pelican Island The oldest bird sanctuary in America, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge was established by President Theodore Roosevelt to save brown pelicans and other birds. Kara Franker, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2025 Dive tour operators and anglers wrangle In St. Petersburg, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) temporarily closed pier fishing on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge after brown pelicans, ensnared by fishing lines, died. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2024 At least three birds — two brown pelicans and a laughing gull — were killed by the oil spill, and the Coast Guard spotted at least nine other birds clearly suffering from the spill. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 20 May 2024 Unfortunately, brown pelicans are showing up around the Bay Area in poor condition. Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near brown pelican

Cite this Entry

“Brown pelican.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20pelican. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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