Once the water is out, the pelican then swallows the fish and carries them in its esophagus. The pouch also serves as a cooling mechanism in hot weather, and as a feeding trough for young pelicans. The brown pelican, also called American brown pelican or common pelican, inhabits the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts of North and South America. They are rarely seen either inland or far out at sea. They are rather clumsy on land, and fly with their necks folded, heads resting on their backs, using slow, powerful wingbeats.
Pelicans are social and gregarious.
Males and females, juveniles and adults, congregate in large flocks for much of the year. Pelicans are primarily fish eaters, and require up to 4 pounds of fish a day. This includes menhaden, herring, sheepshead, pigfish, mullet, grass minnows, top minnows, and silversides. Brown pelicans have also been known to eat some crustaceans, usually prawns. Brown pelicans have extremely keen eyesight.