Black guan
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Chamaepetes unicolor

The black guan (Chamaepetes unicolor ) is a species of bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.

Appearance

The black guan is 62 to 69 cm (2.03 to 2.26 ft) long and weighs about 1,135 g (2.502 lb). Adults have all black plumage with contrasting bright blue facial skin around a red eye. Their legs and feet are pinkish-red. Juveniles are similar but less glossy and their underparts browner and their facial skin is blackish or dark brown.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Biogeographical realms

The black guan is found from the Cordillera de Guanacaste in northern Costa Rica to western Coclé Province in Panama. It inhabits cloudforest in the Talamancan montane forest ecozone. It prefers steep terrain in the temperate, subtropical, and tropical zones, usually between about 1,000 and 2,250 m (3,280 and 7,380 ft) of elevation, but in some areas as low as 800 m (2,600 ft) and in others as high as 3,000 m (9,800 ft).

Biome

Habits and Lifestyle

The black guan is thought to be mainly sedentary but there is some evidence of seasonal elevation changes.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

The black guan forages singly, in pairs, or in small groups. Its primary diet is fruits; studies in Costa Rica have identified at least 35 different species eaten. It mostly feeds in trees but will also eat fallen fruit on the ground.

Mating Habits

The black guan's breeding season is believed to span from February to June. The one described nest was a small platform of twigs and leaves placed in a clump of epiphytes in a tree 4.5 m (15 ft) above the ground. The clutch size is two or three eggs.

Population

Population number

The IUCN has assessed the black guan as being of Least Concern. In Costa Rica it is fairly common in protected areas but in Panama only locally "rather numerous". However, even where nominally protected it is heavily hunted for food.

References

1. Black guan Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_guan
2. Black guan on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22678443/131130847
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/274424

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