Highland Guan
Penelopina nigra
The Highland Guan (Penelopina nigra) is a rare guans, curassows, and chachalaca found in 5 countries, weighing about 890 g. The highland guan is a species of bird in the family Cracidae.
About the Highland Guan
The highland guan is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is found in the highlands of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The highland guan grows to a length of 590 to 650 millimetres (23 to 26 in). The plumage of the male is black, the upper parts glossed with green or blue, the underparts rather duller. The iris of the eye is reddish-brown and there is reddish-brown or purplish bare skin around and behind the eye. The beak, the bare skin on the throat, the large wattle, the legs and feet are reddish-orange. The female, by contrast, is black, heavily mottled and barred with reddish-brown and cinnamon, with a red beak and bare skin round the beak, and purplish bare skin round the eye.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, December, with peak activity in March. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Highland Guan?
- The highland guan grows to a length of 590 to 650 millimetres (23 to 26 in). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Highland Guan?
- The Highland Guan is a large sized bird weighing about 890 g.
- Where can you see a Highland Guan?
- The Highland Guan occurs in 5 countries, including Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.
- What birds look similar to a Highland Guan?
- The Highland Guan is most easily confused with the White-bellied Chachalaca, the Band-tailed Guan and the Rusty-margined Guan.
- Is the Highland Guan endangered?
- The Highland Guan is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Highland Guan for real
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