The Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus) is a member of the pelican family. It lives on the west coast of South America, from Lobos de Tierra Island in Peru to Pupuya Islet in Chile.These birds are dark in colour with a white stripe from the top of the bill up to the crown and down the sides of the neck. They have long tufted feathers on the top of their heads. It used to be considered a subspecies of the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis).