Cauca guan

The bird was first formally described in 1911 by the American ornithologist Outram Bangs, based on the type specimen collected on 5 June 1908 by Mervin G. Palmer at San Luis in the Bitaco Valley of western Colombia. All four of the major taxonomic authorities recognize Cauca guan as a species. The genus name Penelope derives from the Ancient Greek penelops - a type of duck which was said to have rescued Penelope after she was thrown into the sea. The species epithet perspicax is Latin for sharp-sighted. The species is monotypic - no subspecies are recognized. ==Description==

These are large birds, measuring c.75–85 cm in length, with the typical plump body, long tail and small head of the Cracidae species. The head, neck and mantle of the Cauca guan are dark grey, blending into the reddish chestnut colour of the rump, scapulars, wing coverts and upper tail surfaces. The primary flight feathers are greyish-brown. The undersides of the tail feathers are grey. The grey feathers of the mantle, throat, breast and belly are outlined in white, creating a scaled appearance. The bird has a prominent bright red gular sac which is larger than that of the Andean guan, a possible confusion species. The tarsi and feet are red, as are the eyes. The bill is dark grey. ==Distribution and habitat==

The Cauca guan is endemic to Colombia. Historically it was found in the Cauca River valley between Quindío Department and Cerro Munchique in Cauca, and on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera Occidental (Western Andes) in Valle del Cauca and Cauca. It may also have been present at the headwaters of the Magdalena River. By the 1980s it was thought to be extinct, but small surviving populations have since been found within the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Quindío and Risaralda. ==Behaviour and ecology==

Food and feeding Cauca guans forage for food in shrubs and trees, typically between 2 and 20m above the surface. Most foraging activities are carried out by solitary birds or family groups of 3–4, though occasionally groups of up to 30 individuals gather. They primarily dine on fruit and to a lesser degree on leaves and flowers. They are generalist feeders: one study identified that these guans consumed 89 species of fruit, 11 species of flower and 11 species of leaves. Most fruits are eaten whole, though they will bite pieces off of larger fruits such as those of as Ficus cuatrecasana (Higuerón), Solanum sycophanta (Tachuelo) and Cecropia telealba. In periods when fruit is scarce (September to December) they have been observed feeding heavily on young leaves of Chinese ash, an introduced species. Sounds and vocalizations The Cauca guan has a repertoire of several calls: a squawking alarm call which is repeated in a rapid series, a long drawn-out call likened to "''kōō'EEl''", and a loud wing-rattling which is often heard in the morning and also seems to be part of courtship rituals. ==Status==

The Cauca guan is a vulnerable species and is included in the IUCN Red List and the Colombian Red Book (Libro rojo). While it was originally found in an area of 24,900 km2, it is now restricted to four discontinuous sites totalling 750 km2. Estimates of the total population range from 2,500 to less than 1,000 adult birds, with only one population being larger than 250 adults. Threats The principal threat is the isolation of the species into small relict populations due to deforestation and habitat fragmentation. The areas where the bird is known to survive are surrounded by large expanses of deforested land so there is no potential for the populations to grow beyond the carrying capacity of these fragments. These few small populations are at risk from hunting and poaching. Large birds are attractive sources of meat and the Cauca guan being both large and vocal can be relatively easy to find. One study concluded that up to 100 birds are killed annually in and around the main population nucleus in the Risaralda-Quindío area. The smaller populations in some of the other forest fragments are particularly at risk of extirpation due to hunting. The Cali Zoo operates a captive breeding programme for Cauca guan, which will be useful should there be an opportunity to reintroduce the species into suitable habitat. ==References==