"Pelican", one of the birds that the Mosaic Law described as 'unclean'. (Luke 11:13, 18, De 14:11, 12, 17.)
The pelican is one of the largest flying birds, it reaches 1.5 m. in length and a majestic wingspan of almost 3 m. Its yellowish bill is straight, long and ends in a kind of hooked nail. The bag hanging from the lower jaw is almost imperceptible when empty. His gait is heavy, but his flight is strong and graceful; it has been known that they even nest up to about 100 km from the places where they fish. They are very skilled fishermen, and their webbed feet allow them to move quickly in the water.
After eating until satisfied, the pelican usually flees to a solitary place, where it adopts a melancholic posture, sinking its head on the shoulders and remaining so motionless that it could be confused from afar with a white stone. He remains in this position several hours in a row, so it resembles that state of still melancholy alluded to by the psalmist when he illustrates the intensity of his grief: "I look like the desert pelican". (Sl 102: 6.)
