Bizarre, endangered bird discovered in high densities

[Chris Merkord]

The rare Cauca guan. Photo by Pete Morris/Birdquest.

A new study in mongabay.com's open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science looks at a particularly endangered guan: the Cauca gaun (Penelope perspicax).

 

To determine how the Cauca guan is faring, a team of scientists led by Gustavo H. Kattan, counted guans across three forests.

 

The researchers found that the Cauca guan inhabits both primary and secondary forests with around 10-18 guans per square kilometer in two of the sites. However, a secondary forest in Bremen sported a remarkably high density: over 42 birds per square kilometer. The scientists write that this density is comparable to densities of small passerines or songbirds.

 

Read more at http://news.mongabay.com/2014/0324-hance-tcs-cauca-guan.html

 

Citations:

• Kattan, G. H., Roncancio, N., Banguera, Y., Kessler-Rios, M., Londoño, G. A. Marín, O. H. and Muñoz, M. C.2014. Spatial variation in population density of an endemic and endangered bird, the Cauca Guan (Penelope perspicax). Tropical Conservation Science Vol.7 (1): 161-170.