How to Use pelican in a Sentence

pelican

noun
  • Be wary of the pelicans, who will steal fish right out of your hands.
    — Teaghan Skulszki, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
  • In front of us, frigate birds and gray pelicans paraglided on the wind.
    — Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2019
  • Dead fish washed ashore in Amuay, and dozens of pelicans were killed.
    — Kirk Semple, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2018
  • The juvenile pelican was too tired to lift his head at first.
    — Gabrielle Russon, OrlandoSentinel.com, 23 Sep. 2017
  • Mahito cannot preach care to a starving pelican; the bird has no choice but to hunt.
    — Moeko Fujii, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
  • The graceful pelicans would soar, and sandpipers would drill for sand crabs.
    — James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2025
  • Egrets, ibis and pelicans are common.
    — Pam Leblanc, Southern Living, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Anyone who sees a pelican in distress should contact the group for help.
    — Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024
  • Amelia Hildt, 3, was busy looking around for a pelican and a starfish.
    — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The video shows the pelican struggling to get away as onlookers laugh.
    — Natasha Daly, National Geographic, 12 Mar. 2019
  • Higher up the food chain, whales, seals and pelicans are going hungry.
    — Mike McPhate, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2016
  • Sea lions leaped from the water while pelicans flew high overhead.
    — Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
  • There also was some debate over whether the bird depicted is a pelican or a blue heron.
    — Patricia Dillon, Houston Chronicle, 29 June 2018
  • My mother loved pelicans and was among the first to donate to the rescue group in its early years.
    — Christina Mayo, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The pelican was hoisted aboard a fire boat where it was carefully removed from the hook and line.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Visitors also spot great blue herons, white pelicans and egrets.
    — Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
  • As the pelican eyed our fish, members of the crew gently cautioned against feeding the bird.
    — Betsy Andrews, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025
  • In the distance, pelicans hunt for breakfast in the water and seagulls scrounge for snacks in the sand.
    — Nora Heston Tarte, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The terns and pelicans have gone to roost, and the dolphins no longer crisscross the water by the hundreds.
    — Erik Vance, Scientific American, 1 Aug. 2017
  • Large numbers of dead fish were washing up along the banks of the river and being scooped up by pelicans and gulls.
    — Adam Welz, Wired, 21 Mar. 2020
  • At lunch, pelicans, herons and other feathery creatures fish nearby and soak up the sun on the piers.
    — Robyn George, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Seagulls and pelicans hovered around him in the cool, sticky air, while dolphins swam alongside the boat.
    — Amy Qin Callaghan O’Hare, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023
  • The pelican was placed in the largest cage the center could find and brought down to Will County.
    — Taylor Hartz, chicagotribune.com, 30 Oct. 2019
  • Since April the group has taken in 50 of the pelicans noted for their large, pointy beaks.
    — John Rogers, Fox News, 13 June 2018
  • Don’t be surprised if dolphins or pelicans photobomb your moon snap, too.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Any news on the arrival of the white pelicans here in the East Bay and environs?
    — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, 30 Nov. 2019
  • The fifth painting was on a fish bar and depicted two pelicans eating fish, one of which came from the store’s logo.
    — Raven Brunner, Peoplemag, 12 Aug. 2024
  • As the surf crashed against a barrier of sand, pelicans, cormorants and ospreys soared over the dark water.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Mahito meets a woman named Kiriko, who saves him from a flock of vicious pelicans and shows him how to skin and carve a fish.
    — Moeko Fujii, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024
  • Now the focus is on the northern anchovy, the primary food of pelicans.
    — Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 29 May 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pelican.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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