Washington, Jan 25 (IANS): NBA franchise New Orleans Hornets will now be known as Pelicans.

"When we purchased the basketball team, it was a priority to change the name to reflect our culture, our community and our resolve. Pelicans does that," Tom Benson, owner of the team, said at a news conference Thursday, reports Xinhua.

"We will promote healthy habitats, not only for our youth but for our community, our coast and our wildlife. The Pelicans name will do that. It is more than a name. It represents our way of life."

Benson also unveiled the team's new logo at the news conference. The team decided to change the colour scheme to blue, gold and red. The new name and the new colour scheme will be used after this season.

The current Hornets team inherited the nickname of "Charlotte Hornets" after the relocation from Charlotte to New Orleans in 2002.

Benson, who came into charge last April, had been thinking about the name change for a long time. He picked Pelicans because it is the state bird of Louisiana and the symbolic brand for the region, was best to represent the state and the New Orleans city.

The Hornets was a young team in NBA, and it was the first name change for the franchise since their entrance into NBA in 1988.

The name change was still in want of an approval from the league but NBA commissioner David Stern would support any name the franchise picked.

New Orleans Hornets were currently ranked last in NBA Western Conference. The young team was expected to move to a higher step next season and the name change probably would be a good start.