קָאַת Pelican (ka'at)
Every verse in which this word stands — 5 places, in canonical order, first appearance to last. These are the places the lexicon carries under this word's own entry, counting every form the text writes it in, which is the number on the list.
In both kosher lists, and the Psalmist's own figure of loneliness — 'I am like a ka'at of the wilderness.' Traditionally the pelican; the identification is discussed.
וְאֶת־הַתִּנְשֶׁמֶת וְאֶת־הַקָּאָת וְאֶת־הָרָחָֽם
and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture;
וְהַקָּאָת וְאֶֽת־הָרָחָמָה וְאֶת־הַשָּׁלָֽךְ
and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture, and the cormorant;
וִירֵשׁוּהָ קָאַת וְקִפּוֹד וְיַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב יִשְׁכְּנוּ־בָהּ וְנָטָה עָלֶיהָ קַֽו־תֹהוּ וְאַבְנֵי־בֹֽהוּ
But the pelican and the bittern shall possess it, And the owl and the raven shall dwell therein; And He shall stretch over it The line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.
וְרָבְצוּ בְתוֹכָהּ עֲדָרִים כָּל־חַיְתוֹ־גוֹי גַּם־קָאַת גַּם־קִפֹּד בְּכַפְתֹּרֶיהָ יָלִינוּ קוֹל יְשׁוֹרֵר בַּֽחַלּוֹן חֹרֶב בַּסַּף כִּי אַרְזָה עֵרָֽה
And all beasts of every kind Shall lie down in the midst of her in herds; Both the pelican and the bittern Shall lodge in the capitals thereof; Voices shall sing in the windows; Desolation shall be in the posts; For the cedar-work thereof shall be uncovered.
דָּמִיתִי לִקְאַת מִדְבָּר הָיִיתִי כְּכוֹס חֳרָבֽוֹת
I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am become as an owl of the waste places.
Quick answers
What is the Hebrew word for pelican?
Pelican in Hebrew is קאת, with a gematria of 501 in the standard method.
How many times is the pelican mentioned in the Tanakh?
The word stands 5 times in the Tanakh, first at Leviticus 11:18.
A spelling is not a word. The bare letters קאת stand 2 times in the corpus, which is a different question and often a different number: the same letters can spell a name or another word entirely, and the creature written with a particle attached is a spelling that search never returns. It is here, as itself.
See all 2 occurrences of the spelling קאת →