Wattled Curassow vs Andean Guan
Crax globulosa compared with Penelope montagnii
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Wattled Curassow | Andean Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Crax globulosa | Penelope montagnii |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Endangered | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 69.9 cm (27.5 in) | 48.3 cm (19.0 in) |
| Weight | 2500.0 g (88.18 oz) | 650.0 g (22.93 oz) |
| Diet | Eats large fruits, seeds, and invertebrates on floors of Amazonian várzea forests. Vulnerable; forages along … | Eats fruits, berries, leaves, flowers, and buds in Andean cloud forests. Forages at all levels … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Wattled Curassow
Emits a deep, resonant booming call and guttural contact clucking. Endangered; the deep boom carries through Amazonian flooded forest (várzea); increasingly rarely heard.
Andean Guan
Emits deep, resonant honking calls and loud wing-whirring display flights. Andean cloud forest echoes with both calls and wing-whirring at dawn across multiple Penelope guans.
Geographic Range & Migration
Wattled Curassow
Resident in the upper Amazon Basin from Colombia and Peru south to Bolivia and Brazil. Found in lowland and flooded várzea forest.
Andean Guan
Resident in the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia south to Bolivia at 1,500-3,600 m. Found in humid cloud forest and montane scrub.
Conservation Status
Wattled Curassow
Andean Guan
How to Tell Them Apart
Wattled Curassow
Male glossy black with white belly; curly black crest; dark red knob and wattle at bill base; no yellow. Female black with pale barring; reddish bill ornaments present but smaller. …
Andean Guan
Dark olive-brown above; bare red throat wattle; neck and breast streaked white on dark background; lower belly and flanks rufous-chestnut; tail dark with slight gloss.
About These Birds
Wattled Curassow
A large cracid (~2.5 kg) of family Cracidae, males black with a distinctive globular red wattle and curly crest. Inhabits seasonally flooded várzea and igapó forests along major Amazon and Orinoco river systems. Forages for fruits and seeds near water. Endangered; highly dependent on flooded forest habitats that are increasingly affected by dam construction and deforestation.
Andean Guan
A medium-sized cracid (~650 g) of family Cracidae, with dull brown-olive plumage and a bare red throat wattle. Inhabits Andean cloud forests and forest edges from Venezuela south to Bolivia at elevations of 1,200–3,500 m. Feeds on fruits, seeds, and invertebrates. Least Concern; widespread in montane Andes and one of the more commonly encountered Penelope guans.