Great Curassow vs Andean Guan
Crax rubra compared with Penelope montagnii
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Great Curassow | Andean Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Crax rubra | Penelope montagnii |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 76.2 cm (30.0 in) | 48.3 cm (19.0 in) |
| Weight | 3756.1666666666665 g (132.49 oz) | 650.0 g (22.93 oz) |
| Diet | Eats large fallen fruits, seeds, and invertebrates on forest floor in Central and South American … | 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
Great Curassow
Emits a deep, resonant booming call; male also produces loud, crowing notes. The powerful boom carries through Central American and northwestern South American tropical forest at dawn.
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
Great Curassow
Resident from Mexico through Central America south to western Ecuador and Colombia. Found in lowland and foothill humid forest to 1,500 m.
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
Great Curassow
Andean Guan
How to Tell Them Apart
Great Curassow
Male glossy black with white belly and curly black crest; bright yellow knob at bill base; female dimorphic with three morphs: barred brown, rufous, or black, all with barred tails …
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
Great Curassow
A large cracid (~3.8 kg) of family Cracidae, males black with a curly yellow-knobbed crest, females brown-barred. Found in humid lowland and montane forests from Mexico to northwestern Colombia. Forages on the forest floor and low vegetation for fallen fruits, seeds, and invertebrates. Vulnerable due to deforestation throughout Central America and hunting for bushmeat.
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.