Dire Pelican

Dire Pelicans stand about 2 meters high, with the broad wings, long neck, and enormous expanding throat pouch typical of smaller pelican species. Cooperative and gregarious, they live in large colonies on coasts around Brunivard. Their eggs are slow to hatch, and the parents will take long turns sitting on the coastal nest mounds, chattering with the other nest-bound parents nearby, while the other member of the mated pair will hunt and return with fish. Once the young pelicans are hatched, it takes four years for them to fully mature, and their parents will continue to feed them well into adolescence, even after the young birds are capable of fending for themselves.
Dire Pelicans mate for life, and are dedicated to their families and their colonies. Should a member of a mated pair fall to predation or hunting, the remaining parent will continue to raise the chicks by itself. When those chicks are grown, the remaining parent will not take a new mate, but will continue to collect fish for other members of the colony.
The birds are ungainly on land, but graceful in the air and skilled at maneuvering in the water. Effective at catching fish solo, Dire Pelicans often collect astounding amounts of fish hunting in flocks. A group of birds will use their pouches to herd small schools of fish into shallow water, where they are trapped, and the whole flock will eat.
Dire Pelicans are considered one of the noblest creatures by the giants of Brunivard. They represent the power of the community and the virtues of loyalty to the giant tribes. A giant who has lost their family but stays in community instead of seeking death is called Pelican as a sign of respect.