What does pelican mean?
Word: Pelican
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Pelican means a large water bird with a very long beak and a stretchy pouch of skin under it, which it uses to scoop up fish.
How do you spell pelican?
Syllables: pel - i - can
Tricky part: The middle i is said so quickly that it is easy to write e, as in pelecan.
Watch out for: pellican, pelecan, pelicon
Memory tip: A pelican can carry a whole fish in its pouch, so let the word end in can.
Pelican in a sentence
Example 1: A pelican stood on one leg near the edge of the lake.
Example 2: We watched a pelican dip its beak into the water and come up with a fish.
Example 3: Spot-billed pelicans nest in tall trees at some bird sanctuaries in India.
Fun Fact
A pelican scoops up water along with the fish. It then tips its head so the water drains out of the pouch before it swallows the catch.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Which of the words cannot be made using the letters in the given word?
pelican
a) camel
b) clap
c) pencil
d) plane
Show answer
a) camel. Camel needs an m, and there is no m in pelican.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) peacock
b) pelican
c) sparow
d) ostrich
Show answer
c) sparow. Sparrow needs a double r; the other three birds are spelt correctly.
Spellacadabra
From which option does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
a) penguin
b) flammingo
c) vulture
d) pelican
Show answer
b) flammingo. Flamingo has a single m, so one m has to go.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
lcpniea
a) a tiny bird that hovers while it drinks from flowers
b) a small furry animal that carries its baby in a pouch
c) a large bird that scoops up fish in a pouch under its beak
d) a large black bird with a loud, harsh cry
Show answer
c) a large bird that scoops up fish in a pouch under its beak. The letters make pelican, the bird that fishes with its pouch.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these birds also spends much of its time on water?
a) a crow
b) a duck
c) a pigeon
d) an owl
Show answer
b) a duck
2. Pelicans often fly and fish together in a group. What is a group of birds called?
a) a pack
b) a swarm
c) a herd
d) a flock
Show answer
d) a flock
