Taxonomy and systematics
The black guan shares the genus ''Chamaepetes'' with the sickle-winged guan (''C. goudotii'') of western South America and may form a superspecies with it.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021Description
The black guan is long and weighs about . Adults have all black plumage with contrasting bright blue facial skin around a red eye. Their legs and feet are pinkish-red. Juveniles are similar but less glossy and their underparts browner and their facial skin is blackish or dark brown.del Hoyo, J. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Black Guan (''Chamaepetes unicolor''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.blagua1.01 retrieved September 26, 2021Distribution and habitat
The black guan is found from theBehavior
Movement
The black guan is thought to be mainly sedentary but there is some evidence of seasonal elevation changes.Feeding
The black guan forages singly, in pairs, or in small groups. Its primary diet is fruits; studies in Costa Rica have identified at least 35 different species eaten. It mostly feeds in trees but will also eat fallen fruit on the ground.Breeding
The black guan's breeding season is believed to span from February to June. The one described nest was a small platform of twigs and leaves placed in a clump of epiphytes in a tree above the ground. The clutch size is two or three eggs.Vocal and non-vocal sounds
The black guan's vocalizations include piping calls in the breeding season, a "a low, deep 'ro-rooo' or coughing 'kowr' if disturbed", and a "tsik tsik..." alarm call. At dawn and dusk it gives a "loud, sharp, crackling" wing-rattling display.Status
The IUCN has assessed the black guan as being of Least Concern. In Costa Rica it is fairly common in protected areas but in Panama only locally "rather numerous". However, even where nominally protected it is heavily hunted for food.References
Further reading
* *External links
* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q748732 black guan black guan Birds of the Talamancan montane forests black guan black guan Taxonomy articles created by Polbot