Although the pelican will feed on other things, their main diet is Menhaden and Mullet Fish. (Laycock 1970) The pelican drains the water from its pouch and tosses its head back to swallow the fish.

Reproduction

The 2 to 4 white eggs have a rough chalky shell that require about a month to hatch. (EB 1966) The young are naked and black when hatched. As they become larger, they push their bills so deeply into the pouch of the parent while feeding on regurgitated fish as to give rise to the myth that they are feeding on blood from the breast of the parent. Young pelicans are fed for about nine weeks. (Williamson 1999) During this time, each youth will consume about 150 pounds of fish. It was estimated in 1995 that there were approximately 2400 breeding pairs. (Williamson 1999)