Birds · Galliformes · Cracidae

Black Guan

Chamaepetes unicolor

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The black guan is an entirely black cracid with a bluish sheen, intensely blue facial skin and red legs, endemic to the mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama. It feeds on fruit in the cloud forest canopy and is an important seed disperser. Hunting and the fragmentation of highland forest keep it in decline.

Weight

1.1 kg – 1.3 kg

Size

62 cm – 69 cm

Lifespan

18 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

RainforestMountainHerbivore Diurnal In pairs Near Threatened Bird Rainforest Mountain

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Fun facts

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.
Its cobalt-blue facial skin and red legs contrast with its black plumage and make it unmistakable in the cloud forest.
It is one of the main dispersers of large seeds in the Costa Rican cloud forest, and its disappearance from a stand measurably reduces the regeneration of several tree species.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Montane cloud forest of Costa Rica and western Panama, between 1,000 and 3,000 metres
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 28 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/