The blue-throated piping guan is a species of bird in subfamily Penelopina of family Cracidae, the guans, chachalacas, and curassows. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Peru, and Venezuela.
Region
Amazon and Orinoco Basins and the Guianas
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland tropical forests of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Peru, and Venezuela. It favors riverine and floodplain (várzea) forests, gallery forests, and edges of evergreen rainforest. Often forages in the mid- to upper canopy, especially at fruiting trees along waterways and clearings. Also uses secondary growth and forest mosaics where large fruiting trees persist. Tends to avoid heavily fragmented or open habitats away from tree cover.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
A large arboreal cracid, the blue-throated piping guan is an important seed disperser in Amazonian and Orinoco forests. It is often hunted for bushmeat and is sensitive to deforestation, though it remains locally common in remote areas. During courtship it gives clear, piping whistles and dramatic wing-whirring displays.
Blue-throated piping guan showing the blue throat
Temperament
shy and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with gliding between trees
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family groups; may gather at abundant fruit sources. Largely arboreal, moving deliberately through the canopy. Nests are platform-like structures placed in trees; pairs are thought to be monogamous. Courtship includes soft displays and conspicuous wing-whirring sounds.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives clear, high-pitched piping whistles, often delivered from a perch at dawn. Non-vocal display includes loud, rushing wing-whirr or clapping sounds during flights between trees.
Plumage
Mostly dark, glossy blackish-green with a contrasting white patch on the wing coverts and white tips to the tail; under-tail coverts often whitish. Small crest and smooth, sleek body feathers give a satin-like sheen.
Diet
Primarily consumes fruits from a variety of forest trees, including figs and palms, swallowing fruits whole and dispersing seeds. Also takes seeds, tender leaves, and flowers when fruit is scarce. Ingests small invertebrates occasionally but they form a minor part of the diet. Its foraging helps maintain forest regeneration.
Preferred Environment
Feeds mostly in the mid- and upper canopy of riverine and lowland rainforest, often along forest edges and at fruiting trees near waterways. Will use secondary forests and gallery forests where fruiting trees are available.
