Crested Guan
A species of Typical guans Scientific name : Penelope purpurascens Genus : Typical guans
Crested Guan, A species of Typical guans
Botanical name: Penelope purpurascens
Genus: Typical guans
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren , used under CC-BY-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Description
This is a large gamebird, with a length varying from 84 to 91.5 cm (33.1 to 36.0 in). These birds commonly weigh around 1,750 g (3.9 lb), though can weigh as little as 1,361 g (3.0 lb) in P. p. brunnescens, the smallest race on average. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 33 to 42.8 cm (13.0 to 16.9 in), the tail is 34 to 41.5 cm (13.4 to 16.3 in) and the tarsus is 7.4 to 9.1 cm (2.9 to 3.6 in). It is similar in general appearance to a turkey, with a small head, long strong red legs, and a long broad tail. It is mainly dark brown, with white spotting on the neck and breast. The rump and belly are rufous. The head sports a bushy crest, from which the species gets its name, blue-grey bare skin around the eye, and a bare red dewlap or wattle. The sexes are similar, but young birds have black vermiculations and ochre specks on the body plumage. The crested guan is a noisy bird with a loud plee or quonk call, a whistled contact call and a powerful keLEEEErrrr! dawn song.
Size
91 cm
Nest Placement
Tree
Feeding Habits
Crested Guan largely feeds on fruits like wild figs and mangabé berries, occasionally complementing its diet with acorns, green leaves, and insects. Crested Guan utilizes active foraging tactics, primarily during the day, with unique adaptations for digesting a varied plant-based diet.
Habitat
The crested Guan is typically found in a range of forested habitats in broad geographical regions spanning from humid to semihumid evergreen and semideciduous forests to humid pine-oak forests and gallery forests. This species thrives in these diverse forest ecosystems, which provide essential resources for their sustenance and breeding.
Dite type
Frugivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Fruit
Distribution Area
The crested guan breeds in lowlands from south Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula to western Ecuador and southern Venezuela at up to 1,850 m (6,070 ft) altitude.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Photo By Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren , used under CC-BY-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original