When they see a meal, they plunge headfirst into the water, sometimes from a height of up to 60 feet, and come up with a mouthful of wriggling fish. Air sacs beneath the bird's skin cushion the impact, and help it to surface. Male pelicans gather materials for the nest and the female builds it. The nest is typically a scrape or mound on the ground, banked with soil or lined with feathers or vegetation. Egg laying typically occurs in March and April.
Incubation takes about one month.
Both parents incubate the 2-3 white eggs, and care for the young. Newly hatched chicks are bald and helpless with closed eyes. The parents feed the young regurgitated fish. California brown pelicans can live 25-30 years. Historically, breeding colonies were found at Pt.