Marail Guan
Penelope marail
Medium-sized guan of rainforest canopy. Usually appears entirely dark; note short-legged profile, contrasting red throat patch, and sluggish behavior. Slips quietly through canopy, feeding on fruit; typically found alone or in pairs but may congregate at fruiting trees. Generally wary, especially where hunted, but sometimes tolerates close approach. May be seen near the ground at forest edge or along roadsides. Very similar to Spix’s Guan; Marail is smaller and shorter-legged, but this can be surprisingly difficult to judge accurately.
Identification
The Marail guan is 63 to 68 cm (2.1 to 2.2 ft) long. Males weigh 772 to 1,310 g (1.7 to 2.9 lb) and females 770 to 1,450 g (1.7 to 3.2 lb). The back, wings, and central tail feathers of the nominate subspecies are dark with a greenish olive gloss. The outer tail feathers are bluish black. Its throat and chest are dark with white speckles and the belly reddish brown. It has a red dewlap. P. m. jacupeba is slightly smaller, paler, and more a grayish brown.
Taxonomy
The Marail guan has the two subspecies listed in the box to the right. It and the rusty-margined guan (P. superciliaris) form a superspecies.
- Scientific name
- Penelope marail
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Cracidae
- Genus
- Penelope
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of Marail guan is found from eastern Venezuela through the Guianas. P. m. jacupeba is found in northern Brazil north of the Amazon River and possibly in southeastern Venezuela, although not all authorities accept the latter. It mostly inhabits mature tropical forest though it can be found in secondary forest. In the Guianas and Brazil is favors terre firma forest with dense undergrowth. It is a bird of the lowlands, in Venezuela ranging between 100 and 600 m (330 and 1,970 ft) of elevation.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Marail guan appears to be sedentary. A study in Suriname found territories ranged in size from 2 to 9 ha (4.9 to 22 acres).<p>The Marail guan forages singly or in groups of up to six, mostly in the canopy and lower levels of the forest but sometimes on the ground. Its diet is almost entirely fruits though insects are occasionally taken.<p>The Marail guan's breeding season varies within its range. It appears to span from October to February in the Guianas and extend further in Brazil. It builds a cup nest high in a tree fork and lays two or three eggs.<p>The Marail guan gives a wing-whirring display, usually before dawn, and usually follows it with a barking "whaf, whaf, whaf". It also gives the barking calls at dusk.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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