The Piping Guan

Since no one did the Piping Guan for their organism, and since it sounds like an interesting animal, I did some research on it.

The Piping Guan looks like this:

It is found in Central and South America, hence its presence in the Pantanal. This bird usually measures between 60 and 69 cm and weighs between 1.2 and 1.35 kg. Its unique coloring includes a cobalt blue wattle, blue to white facial skin, and greenish blue plumage with bluish tints. As you can see from the picture above, it resembles a turkey. 

Like turkeys, Piping Guans are mostly sedentary, flying only to move up trees or down rivers in search of food. When they do fly, their wings make a whirring noise. Their call sounds like piping, which is how they got their name. 

The Piping Guan likes to live in humid, semi-deciduous forests and woodlands in the tropical zone. In Brazil, we are most likely to see them near water since they like to be within 100 meters of the river. They feed primarily on nuts and fruit, but also have been known to eat snails and even to visit salt licks.

In the grand scheme of conservation, the Piping Guan is not significantly endangered. Still, it is considered vulnerable in French Guiana, Trinidad, Columbia, Venezuela, and the Amazon. This is because they are hunted for food and are impacted by anthropogenic changes in the environment. I really hope that their populations are thriving in the Pantanal and that we will be able to see some there!

-Gwynn Lyons