Andean Guan
Penelope montagnii
The Andean Guan (Penelope montagnii) is a uncommon guans, curassows, and chachalaca found in 5 countries, weighing about 706 g. The Andean guan is a gamefowl species of the family Cracidae, in which it belongs to the guan subfamily Penelopinae.










About the Andean Guan
The Andean guan is a gamefowl species of the family Cracidae, in which it belongs to the guan subfamily Penelopinae. This bird occurs in the highlands of the Andes, from Venezuela and Colombia through Ecuador and Peru south to Bolivia and perhaps northwesternmost Argentina.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
These are medium-sized birds, measuring about 40–58 centimetres (16–23 in) in length and weighing about 500–840 g (1.1–1.9 lb). They are long-bodied with thin necks and small heads, and similar in shape to turkeys but more slender and elegant. The plumage is overall brown with whitish edging to the feathers of the head, neck and chest. It has a red dewlap and reddish legs. In the Conover Collection of the Field Museum, there is a hypopigmented female specimen of the subspecies atrogularis taken December 20, 1929, at Pucará (west Ecuador).
What the Andean Guan sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Andean Guan can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Andean Guan?
- These are medium-sized birds, measuring about 40–58 centimetres (16–23 in) in length and weighing about 500–840 g (1.1–1.9 lb). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Andean Guan?
- The Andean Guan is a large sized bird weighing about 706 g.
- Where can you see an Andean Guan?
- The Andean Guan occurs in 5 countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela.
- What does an Andean Guan sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Andean Guan on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to an Andean Guan?
- The Andean Guan is most easily confused with the Dusky-legged Guan, the Spix's Guan and the Band-tailed Guan.
- Is the Andean Guan endangered?
- The Andean Guan is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Andean Guan for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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