[order] GALLIFORMES | [family] Cracidae | [latin] Pipile cumanensis | [UK] White-headed Piping-Guan | [FR] Penelope siffleuse | [DE] Blaukehl-Guan | [ES] Pava Goliazul | [NL] Blauwkeelgoean
Subspecies
Monotypic species
Genus
Physical charateristics
The blue-throated piping guan, has glossy black feathers with large, white wing patches, and the chest and wing tips are flecked with white. The base of the bill is baby blue, while the area around the eyes is ringed with white skin. The feathers on the crest and nape are also white and appear slightly ruffled. The skin on their legs is a deep red.
| wingspan min.: | cm | wingspan max.: | cm | ||
| size min.: | 60 | cm | size max.: | 69 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 23 | days | incubation max.: | 25 | days |
| fledging min.: | 0 | days | fledging max.: | 25 | days |
| broods: | 1 | eggs min.: | 1 | ||
| eggs max.: | 3 |
Range
South America : West Guianas to Southwest Brazil
Habitat
Mainly tropical forests with small populations in the coastal lowlands
Reproduction
Breeding season is from August to September, chicks hatch between January and March. Slightly different breeding times exist through the range because of seasonal conditions. Nests are located in dense cover in the canopy and constructed of twigs. There are typically 3 eggs with an incubation time of 24 days. This bird is extremely social, living in flocks of up to ten birds.
Feeding habits
Piping guans feed on a variety of fruits and seeds. They play an important role in seed dispersal through their habitats by depositing seeds in various locations as they fly. Also figs and snails are sometimes eaten.
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Resides mainly in northern South America with a narrow territory that extends down into central South America.
Resides mainly in northern South America with a narrow territory that extends down into central South America.
Migration
Presumed sedentary
Distribution map
