pelican
鶘 refers specifically to the pelican, a large water bird known for its distinctive throat pouch.
鶘 combines 胡 (a phonetic component suggesting the sound 'ko' or 'go') with 鳥 (bird), forming a character for a specific bird, the pelican.
The left side 胡 looks like an old foreign tribe, and the right side is 鳥 bird. Imagine an exotic foreign bird with a huge beak—that's the pelican.
For コ, picture a pelican scooping up a cold drink: 'co'ld -> コ. The pelican's pouch is like a cup of cold water.
—