They are mainly inland birds found around freshwater lakes and reservoir. Their nests are built on the ground in widely scattered colonies from western Canada and the northwestern United States, east to Minnesota, and south to California and Colorado. Winters are spent along the coasts of southern California and the Gulf Coast of Florida. In contrast to their brown brethren who generally fly low over the water, white pelicans often catch thermals and soar to great heights. Several years ago, while driving across North Dakota, we saw flocks of large white birds high in the summer sky.
Pelicans are indeed wonderful birds.