Species group · Birds
Guans
WAnimals has 3 species of guan, all in the family Cracidae.
- 3 species
- 1 family
- 16 countries
- 46 parks
- Weight
- 1 kg – 2.4 kg
- Length
- 62 cm – 91 cm
- Lifespan
- 18 – 20 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.
All 3 species of guans on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 16 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…
It is one of the main dispersers of large seeds in the Mesoamerican forests: it swallows fruit whole and deposits it kilometres from the parent tree, a service few birds in the region can provide.
From Crested Guan
The male performs a display flight at dawn, beating his wings with a characteristic mechanical whirring, a sound forest guides recognise before they see the bird.
From Crested Guan
Its size and its meat make it a prime target for subsistence hunting, and it disappears quickly from forests under hunting pressure even where the habitat remains intact.
From Crested Guan
The male performs a display flight at dawn in which he produces a drumming whirr with his wings, a mechanical sound that carries through the forest and marks his territory.
From Dusky-legged Guan
It is an important disperser of large seeds in the Atlantic forest and the yungas, and its disappearance reduces the regeneration of several trees of those forests.
From Dusky-legged Guan
Its meat is prized and it is one of the first large birds to disappear from a forest under hunting pressure, which makes it a good indicator of conservation status.
From Dusky-legged Guan
The male produces a whirring with its wings during courtship: it launches into a short, descending flight, beating its primaries so that they generate a mechanical drumming, a sound that does not come from the throat.
From Black Guan
Its cobalt-blue facial skin and red legs contrast with its black plumage and make it unmistakable in the cloud forest.
From Black Guan