Photo: Patty Ho / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Spix’s Guan
Penelope jacquacu
Spix's Guan (Penelope jacquacu) — Gamebirds of South America.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Spix’s Guan (Penelope jacquacu) is a member of the Cracidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 1.5 kg. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Galliformes
- Family Cracidae Chachalacas, Curassows, Guans
- Genus Penelope
- Species jacquacu
Quick facts
- Weight
- 1.5 kg
- Diet
- Fruit-eaters
- Family
- Cracidae
- Order
- Galliformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Endangered
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Vulnerable
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Spix’s Guan is a frugivore — it feeds mainly on fruit.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Spix’s Guan is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Spix’s Guan (Penelope jacquacu) is a species of bird in the Cracidae family, part of the order Galliformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA Amazonia.
It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 1.5 kg, with a wing length of about 29.6 cm and a tail of around 32.2 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 5 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Spix’s Guan?
The Spix’s Guan is a very large bird that weighs around 1.5 kg.
Where does the Spix’s Guan live?
The Spix’s Guan is found across South America with a range covering SA Amazonia, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Spix’s Guan belong to?
The Spix’s Guan (Penelope jacquacu) belongs to the Cracidae family, in the order Galliformes.
What does the Spix’s Guan eat?
The Spix’s Guan is a frugivore — it feeds mainly on fruit.
Does the Spix’s Guan migrate?
The Spix’s Guan is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Spix’s Guan endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Spix’s Guan make?
1 real field recording of the Spix’s Guan — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Spix’s Guan's range?
The Spix’s Guan has a mapped global range of about 5 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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