Red-faced guan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red-faced guan |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Penelope
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| Species: |
dabbenei
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| Synonyms | |
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Penelope nigrifrons |
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The red-faced guan (Penelope dabbenei) is a special type of bird that lives in the forests of South America. It belongs to a bird family called Cracidae, which includes other interesting birds like chachalacas, guans, and curassows. You can find this unique bird in the countries of Argentina and Bolivia.
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Meet the Red-faced Guan
The red-faced guan is a medium-sized bird, usually about 63 to 69 centimeters (about 25 to 27 inches) long. That's roughly the length of a school ruler! One female bird was found to weigh about 1,230 grams (around 2.7 pounds), which is similar to a small bag of sugar.
What Does a Red-faced Guan Look Like?
This bird has beautiful rich brown feathers all over its body. On its head, chest, and upper back, you might notice small white or silvery speckles, almost like tiny glitter. It has a clear whitish stripe above its eye, which looks like an eyebrow. One of its most noticeable features is the bare, pinkish-red skin on its face. It also has a red dewlap under its chin, which is a flap of skin that hangs down. This red dewlap is a common feature among birds in its group.
Where Do Red-faced Guans Live?
The red-faced guan lives in a specific area along the eastern side of the Andes Mountains. This area stretches from southern Bolivia into northwestern Argentina. They love to live in cloudforests, which are forests that are often covered in clouds or mist. These birds prefer large areas with tall, big trees. Sometimes, you might spot them in smaller patches of forest or in younger forests that are growing back. They usually live at high elevations, mostly between 1,800 and 2,500 meters (about 5,900 to 8,200 feet) above sea level. Occasionally, they can be found a bit lower, around 1,300 meters (about 4,300 feet).
Red-faced Guan Behavior
How Do Red-faced Guans Move Around?
Scientists believe that red-faced guans usually stay in the same area for most of their lives. They don't travel very far. However, some birds in Argentina have been seen moving to different elevations depending on the season, perhaps looking for food or better conditions.
What Do Red-faced Guans Eat?
Red-faced guans often look for food in pairs, but sometimes larger groups are seen feeding together. They mostly find their food in trees, but they also search for snacks on the ground. Their favorite foods are fruits, but they also enjoy eating leaves and small insects or other arthropods.
Red-faced Guan Reproduction
We don't know everything about when red-faced guans have their babies. However, pairs have been seen showing off and calling to each other between September and December. They build their nests in trees. Their nests are like platforms made of twigs and stems, lined with soft leaves. A female red-faced guan usually lays three eggs.
Sounds of the Red-faced Guan
At dawn, which is early in the morning, red-faced guans make a special sound with their wings, almost like a whirring noise. Their song is described as "random-sounding gruff notes" that they give in a steady series. When they sense danger, they make a loud, deep, and repeated "kroa, kroa..." sound, mixed with whistling notes like "luuuii."
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) keeps track of how many animals are left in the wild. In 1988, they thought the red-faced guan was "Threatened," meaning its numbers were getting low. But since 2004, they have changed its status to "Least Concern." This means that even though it lives in a small area, it lives in several protected places. Also, its home is often far away and hard to reach, which means it faces less hunting pressure compared to other types of guans. This helps keep their populations stable.
