Ground nests vary from practically nothing to well built nests of sticks, reeds, straws, palmetto leaves, and grasses. Tree nests are made of similar materials, only they are more firmly constructed. The eastern subspecies nests mostly in early spring or summer, although fall and winter nesting have been recorded in some localities. The Caribbean subspecies begins nesting between May and August, but the season is at its peak during September through November. Normal clutch size for the brown pelican is three eggs.
All courtship behavior is confined to the nest site.
The male carries nesting materials to the females and she builds the nest. Both share in incubation and rearing duties. The brown pelican is found along the coast in California and from North Carolina to Texas, Mexico, the West Indies and many Caribbean Islands, and to Guyana and Venezuela in South America. Although brown pelicans were extirpated from the Louisiana coast during the 196O's, a small number have since been reintroduced. Nesting for the eastern brown pelican, in the Southeast Region, is generally confined to the Carolinas, Florida, Louisiana, and the Caribbean.