Pelicans fly with regal bearing. They might seem sure of themselves, confident of their place in the cosmos, unapologetic for their outlandish form. That form, on the other hand, turns the whole effect toward the comic, as though you had just come upon a king on his throne, attentive to the awesome duties of state, wearing the bulbous nose of a clown. You don't know whether to bow or laugh.
— Donald McCullough, The Wisdom of Pelicans