Pelicans and flamingos

One of the animals that shows up in bestiaries is called the pelican. The most intriguing feature of the pelican in these accounts is that it feeds its young with its own blood. Eventually this became a Catholic symbol of Christ. The weird thing is that pelicans don't do this, and pelicans are a common animal throughout Europe. So why does it say this? One clue is that Isidore of Seville writes:…