Plate 003 · eating fruit on a mossy branch IdentificationFive marks on the plate
- 1Red dewlap bare on the throat.
- 2Dark bare face slate grey, with a red eye.
- 3Short bushy crest raised when alarmed.
- 4White feather edges on neck, breast and wing coverts.
- 5Dark legs, hence its English name.
Easily confused with Red-faced GuanPenelope dabbeneiBare face red, not grey. Higher up, in the alders. Chaco ChachalacaOrtalis canicollisSmaller and plain brown, no white edges. Lowland forest and chaco. 003 / 100 · BIRDS · CRACIDAELEAST CONCERN Dusky-legged Guan
Penelope obscura
Pava de monte común · Dusky-legged Guan
The commonest guan in the Yungas of Tucumán. It walks along high branches eating fruit, leaves and flowers. At dawn the male makes a short flight with a loud drumming of its wings that carries far through the forest.
- Length
- c. 68 – 75 cm
- Altitude
- c. 400 – 2,500 m
- Breeding
- Sep – Jan
- Clutch
- 2 – 3 white eggs
- Seed disperser
- Tree-dweller
- Wing-drumming
- Hunted
Altitude rangeFrom foothill forest to alder woods
Year-round Uses almost every forest belt, from the foothills up to the alder woods. In the highest forests it lives alongside the Red-faced Guan.
FoodFruit from the canopy
- Fleshy fruitsmyrtles, laurels, figs
- Young leavesmainly in winter
- Flowers and budsas the season allows
- Fallen seedssometimes on the ground
It swallows fruit whole and spreads the seeds. It is one of the few large seed dispersers left in the forest.
BehaviourLarge, arboreal and noisy
J F M A M J J A S O N D BreedingPresent - Dawn drumming. The male glides between trees and rattles its wings with a dry, repeated sound.
- Walks the branches. Moves through the canopy in hops and rarely comes to the ground.
- In small groups. Outside the breeding season it gathers in fruiting trees.
Where to look in Tucumán- Sierra de San Javier
- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle
- Parque Provincial La Florida
- PN Aconquija
- Quebrada de Lules
- El Siambón