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The Cauca guan is a bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow family, Cracidae. It is a large guan, and like most guans leads a mostly arboreal life in humid forests, where it forages for fruit and leaves. The Cauca guan is endemic to Colombia's Cauca River valley.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
These are large birds, measuring c.75–85 cm in length, with the typical plump body, long tail and small head of the Cracidae species. The head, neck and mantle of the Cauca guan are dark grey, blending into the reddish chestnut colour of the rump, scapulars, wing coverts and upper tail surfaces. The primary flight feathers are greyish-brown. The undersides of the tail feathers are grey. The grey feathers of the mantle, throat, breast and belly are outlined in white, creating a scaled appearance.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in February · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Chestnut-bellied GuanPenelope ochrogasterChestnut-bellied guan is a medium-sized bird that is light brown at the head, fading darker approaching the wings and even darker at the tail.
Yungas GuanPenelope bridgesiMale and female Yungas guans are alike.
Marail GuanPenelope marailThe marail guan is 63 to 68 cm (2.1 to 2.2 ft) long.
Learn the Cauca Guan for real
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