Is the wrong bird on the Louisiana state flag? The Louisiana state bird is the brown pelican, so why is the pelican on our flag white?

According to theadvocate.com, the colors for the Louisiana state flag were chosen by Governor W.W Heard in 1912.

Why does the state flag picture a white pelican, a different species? -Earl Higgins to theadvocate.com

So why is the pelican white? The answer, simply put, is two-fold. A white pelican looked better on a blue flag and the brown pelican did not become the state bird until 1966.

The white pelican in the Louisiana state flag bears the yellow-brown crown of the state's official state bird, the brown pelican. -theadvocate.com

Until 2010, different versions of the Louisiana state flag could be found flying all over the state. As of 2010, the colors, design and images on the state flag are now uniform.

 The reasons for a "white" pelican on the Louisiana state flag are explained here in more detail.

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