Totem

A totem is the clan or family deity who, in some supernatural way, attends to the clan and watches over it.

Birds are messengers to and from the gods and to and from all dimensions, mediators between the earthly realm and the heavenly world. They symbolize the human soul, both in its physical limitations and spiritual aspirations. Birds tell us that the ability to fly allows us to bypass the difficulties of walking through the jungle. Their message is: man has the ability to overcome problems by learning how to "fly" (to look at things from a higher perspective and function smoothly, just going with the flow as birds being carried by the wind).
Toucan, in western Africa is the chief announcer, and as such, is sort of a king of birds.
Pelican is the teacher of truth.