Pelikki/Legends

Pelikki
Biological classification
Designation	Non-sentient
Classification	Avian
Physical characteristics
Feather color	Deep purple in males Grayish-green in females
Distinctions	Distensible gular pouch
Sociocultural characteristics
Homeworld	Naboo
Habitat	Rivers
Diet	Piscivore

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Pelikki were a species of birds that lived on the rivers of the planet Naboo, along with their duck and quadduck cousins. Thanks to their expandable throat poach, the fish-eating waterfowl could scoop up their prey while hunting. Although adapted to the large-scale presence of Nabooian Humans, who sometimes fed them for pleasure, the pelikki remained untamed and were still easily frightened by abrupt movements.

Biology and appearance

Two pelikki poised for flight

Pelikki were a species of large-billed avians from the planet Naboo. They had four limbs: two functional wings and two legs ending in large feet that were awkward on land. A feathery tail sprouted from their backsides. Their heads sported eyes and three fleshy growths on the upper parts. The many rivers that ran across the planet's surface, including the Solleu River, constituted their natural habitat. They used their distensible gular pouch to store prey while hunting. The species displayed sexual dimorphism between its two sexes, with males having a deep purple plumage, while females had more subdued gray feathers. They were related to two other waterfowls, the ducks and the quadducks, with which they shared their habitat.

Behavior

The pelikki were non-sentient piscivores, feeding on fish, which they caught by bobbing into the water. They were accustomed to Humans, one of the two sentient species who shared Naboo, as they could be seen in the proximity of urbanized areas. In the planetary capital of Theed, bird enthusiasts who strolled along the banks of the Solleu River would sometimes buy packets of small fish to feed the hungry pelikki. Despite that, the birds were still easily startled by sudden noises or movements, which prompted them to move away quickly. In such situations of distress, they emitted loud quacking.

History

A group of pelikki on the Solleu River

The pelikki were native to the world of Naboo, in the Naboo system of the region of the galaxy known as the Mid Rim. Around the time of the Invasion of Naboo in 32 BBY, a group of pelikki had made their home in an estuary of the Solleu River, located near the Theed Royal Palace. When a submersible tribubble bongo transporting two Jedi bobbed to the surface, those pelikki were surprised and flew away in fright.

Behind the scenes

The pelikki first appeared in the 1999 movie Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, in which they were not named. They were initially identified as ducks in an entry in the now defunct StarWars.com Databank, which used a picture of the Nabooian waterfowls seen in The Phantom Menace. However, the 2012 reference book The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary later retconned the birds seen in the movie into pelikki, a species related to ducks but sufficiently different from them to receive a name of their own. The pelikki's name and expandable gular pouch make them resemble real-life pelicans, a genus of large ocean birds.

Appearances

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (First appearance)

Sources

• Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Episode I
• Star Wars: Complete Locations (Picture only)
• Duck in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link) (as duck)
• Naboo in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link) (Picture only)
• The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary (First identified as pelikki)

External links

• "from the Present: Familiar Creatures in a Galaxy Far, Far Away {{{3}}}" — {{{4}}} — [[{{{5}}}|{{{5}}}'s]] StarWars.com Blog (from the Present: Familiar Creatures in a Galaxy Far, Far Away backup link (/2013/08/15/drawing-from-the-present-familiar-creatures-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away//Drawing from the Present: Familiar Creatures in a Galaxy Far, Far Away) not verified!)