The brown pelican is about 6 feet tall with brown feathers.  It lives on both coasts of North and South America. It has a sparrow’s song.  The brown pelican is known for being a social bird, breeding, feeding and flying together.  The brown pelican is important in the state of Louisiana because European settlers thought the bird was generous and caring toward it’s young. The brown pelican became the state bird of Louisiana in 1966.

The bald cypress is 100-120 feet tall with greenish yellow leaves. It grows in swampy areas. It is known for its durability. It is so durable that the early Native Americans used the tree for canoes.  It is important in the state of Louisiana because half of Louisiana timber comes from the bald cypress. The bald cypress became the state tree of Louisiana on 1963.

The Louisiana flag has a blue background with a white banner near the bottom. The words “Union, Justice, and Confidence” appear on the banner. These words are the state motto. There is a picture of a mother pelican stabbing her breast to feed her babies. This is a symbol of self-sacrifice. Long ago people told strange and wonderful stories about the brown pelican. This is important to the state of Louisiana because it symbolizes the state as the provider and protector of its people. The Louisiana flag was adopted on July 2, 1912.