Red-faced Guan vs Andean Guan
Penelope dabbenei compared with Penelope montagnii
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Red-faced Guan | Andean Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Penelope dabbenei | Penelope montagnii |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 56.7 cm (22.3 in) | 48.3 cm (19.0 in) |
| Weight | 1230.0 g (43.39 oz) | 650.0 g (22.93 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Andean foothills forests of Bolivia and northwestern … | Eats fruits, berries, leaves, flowers, and buds in Andean cloud forests. Forages at all levels … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Red-faced Guan
Produces a loud, resonant honking cackle and wing-whirring display. Calls carry through Bolivian and Argentinian Yungas cloud forest; wing-whirring is a diagnostic display.
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
Red-faced Guan
Resident in the foothills and mountains of northwestern Argentina and adjacent Bolivia at 500-1,800 m. Found in humid Yungas 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
Red-faced Guan
Andean Guan
How to Tell Them Apart
Red-faced Guan
Dark brownish-olive; extensive bare bright red facial skin from lores to ear-coverts (larger than other guans); throat red-wattled; breast finely streaked white; lower belly rufous; tail dark.
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
Red-faced Guan
A large cracid (~1.2 kg) of family Cracidae, with distinctive red bare facial skin. Inhabits montane humid forests of the eastern Andes in Bolivia and northwestern Argentina at 900–2,500 m elevation. Arboreal, foraging for fruits, seeds, and buds in the forest canopy. Least Concern; relatively restricted range in the Yungas forest zone but not considered under immediate threat.
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.