The food habits of White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) have been surveyed repeatedly at Pyramid Lake, Nevada (Hall 1925, Bond 1940, Alcorn 1943, Marshall and Giles 1953, Woodbury 1966). Those surveys, based on fish regurgitated by chicks, showed that pelicans captured predominantly Tui Chubs (Gila bicolor) and Carp (Cyprinus carpio). The chub is an abundant fish indigenous to the lake, whereas the Carp occurs in low numbers. Pelicans were believed to capture Carp at surrounding wetlands.
White Pelicans traditionally nest on Anaho Island in Pyramid Lake. Although the island is now a national wildlife refuge for the species, the relevance of the lake fishery or the fisheries of surrounding wetlands to continued use of that site is poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to determine where pelicans forage in the Pyramid Lake region and to document chronological patterns in their use of the wetlands.