PELICAN (קָאַת, H7684, pelican, except Ps 102:6 where RSV tr. vulture, marg. “meaning uncertain”; also tr. cormorant [q.v.]; the tr. pelican is of ancient origin [LXX and Vulg.] and is based on the assumption that the Heb. comes from a root meaning to vomit). Early writers stated (incorrectly) that pelicans fed mainly on shellfish and later brought back the shells, etc., as an owl produces “pellets.” The pelican, however, is one of many water birds that feed their young by regurgitation of partly digested food, taken by the young as they put their heads down the parents’ throats, so this alone is insufficient to identify it. The context of Psalm 102:6 makes the tr. “pelican,” impossible, for a pelican is a very specialized water bird, and Driver’s suggestion of owl is as likely as any (see Owl). Pelicans—mostly the white pelicans—are regular visitors to Pal., but the average person prob. never sees one, certainly not at close quarters, for they fly over as quickly as possible in flocks of several hundreds, using a sequence of thermals to mount high in the sky and glide N on almost fixed wings. Their only safe stopping place is in the Huleh valley (see Bird Migration). These birds are on their way from their winter haunts around the central African lakes to the breeding grounds in the estuaries of the Black Sea and other parts of central and eastern Europe. They are among the biggest flying birds, about five ft. long, and they fly with heads drawn back. They usually fish in groups, using their beak pouches as nets and scoops, but not for storage—in contrast to the American Brown Pelican that dives into the water after fish.

Bibliography See under Bird Migration.