The Baudó guan (''Penelope ortoni'') is a species of bird from the family Cracidae. It is restricted to humid forests in the west Andean foothills of western

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and north-western Ecuador. It is highly sensitive to

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

and habitat destruction, with large sections of the main distribution in the Chocó having already disappeared. Consequently, it is considered to be endangered by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

and

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Distribution and population

Found in

and in Ecuador, on the lower slopes and at the base of the west Andean foothills. There are no confirmed recent records of its presence anywhere south of Pichincha in Ecuador. Its living range and population size has certainly decreased significantly recently. In 2002 the population at one site in Ecuador was estimated to be between 2500 and 7500 adult individuals, with extrapolations based on widespread transects between 1997 and 2006 leading to an extrapolated global population of 7000-21000 mature individuals.

Description

Structurally typical for a guan, the bird is about 65 cm tall and the body is mostly dark brown. On the breast and neck there are regular, small white patches. Around the neck and head the brown is slightly darker and tending to greyish-brown, making the patching more visible. The head is plain, a feature that distinguishes this species from all other species of Guan living in that region of South America: all other guans of the same genus have pale markings on the head. Both the legs and the dewlap are red, but the dewlap is brighter and more visible than the legs. Territorial calls are made around dawn, a far-carrying guttural bawling '. The birds warn each other of the approach of human with low, soft, and prolonged rising whistles. The alarm call of ', is repeated several time, but is rarely heard. This alarm call is also shared by other Penelope species.

Diet

In the upper strata it forages for fruits in humid forests, in smaller groups.

Classification

Its closest living relatives are the

Band-tailed Guan The band-tailed guan (''Penelope argyrotis'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The band-tailed guan is closely related to be ...

(Penelope argyrotis),

Cauca Guan The Cauca guan (''Penelope perspicax'') is a bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow family, Cracidae. It is a large guan, and like most guans leads a mostly arboreal life in humid forests, where it forages for fruit and leaves. The Cauca guan ...

(Penelope perspicax), Dusky-legged Guan (Penelope obscura),

White-crested Guan The white-crested guan (''Penelope pileata'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found only in regions of the eastern Amazon basin of Brazil. The species is restricted to the southern river ...

(Penelope pileata) and the

White-browed Guan The white-browed guan (''Penelope jacucaca'') is a species of bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is endemic to northeastern Brazil. Taxonomy and systematics The white-browed guan has at times been considered conspe ...

(Penelope jacucaca). All of these species can also be found in South America, ranging between Columbia and Brazil. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Andean Guan, but discovery of overlapping populations in western Colombia and southwest Ecuador with no evidence for introgression has led to specific treatment more recently. The scientific name commemorates the United States naturalist James Orton.

Conservation

In Ecuador the species is protected by law. Many areas inhabited by the species are poorly known so a first priority for conservation has been implementing population monitoring programs and surveying areas of its habitat. This allows the identification of regions which are poorly protected at the moment and ma help extend protected areas in Nariño and Esmeraldas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1273741 Baudó guan Baudó guan Birds of the Colombian Andes Birds of the Ecuadorian Andes Baudó guan Baudó guan