 The great white pelican is the national bird of Romania . The brown pelican is the national bird of three Caribbean countries — Saint Kitts and Nevis , Barbados and Sint Maarten — and features on their coats of arms . It is also the state bird of the US state of Louisiana , which is known colloquially as the Pelican State ; the bird appears on the state flag and state seal . It adorns the seals of Louisiana State University and Tulane University , and is the mascot of the New Orleans Pelicans NBA team , Tulane University , and the University of the West Indies . A white pelican logo is used by the Portuguese bank Montepio Geral , and a pelican is depicted on the reverse of the Albanian 1 lek coin , issued in 1996 . The name and image were used for Pelican Books , an imprint of non @-@ fiction books published by Penguin Books . The seal of the Packer Collegiate Institute , a pelican feeding her young , has been in use since 1885 . 
