Marail Guan Penelope marail Scientific name definitions

The Guianan Shield representative of the genus Penelope, the Marail Guan is also sometimes known as the Cayenne Guan. It is usually fairly common, despite the inevitable hunting pressure it endures like all guans, and the species ranges across the Guianas, as well as into adjacent southern Venezuela and northern Brazil to the banks of the Amazon. The species’ unusual vernacular and scientific names apparently originate in a native name; it was one of the first species of guan to be brought to Europe and therefore described by naturalists. The Marail Guan is largely arboreal, except when the young are small, and usually prefers tall terra firme forest in the lowlands to approximately 600 m, although it is regularly found near water. Groups typically comprise up to about six individuals, which seem to follow regular routes between their roosting and foraging sites. Breeding data are still very scarce, although its diet is reasonably well known.

63–68 cm; male 772–1310 g, female 770–1450 g (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). Male apparently larger than female, based on mean mass (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). Has greenish-olive gloss on back , wings and central tail feathers, and bluish-black lateral tail feathers . Juvenile apparently undescribed, but presumably differs little from adult (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). Race <em>jacupeba</em> is slightly smaller, paler and more greyish brown, and perhaps has a marginally shorter crest (2 Delacour, J., and D. Amadon (2004). Curassows and Related Birds. Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Close ).

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Heavy tropical forest , especially near water, near coast or inland; less often in second growth. Occurs in lowlands; in Venezuela between 100 m and 600 m. In French Guiana and N Brazil found in pristine forest, especially terra firme forest with a relatively open canopy, dense undergrowth and abundant lianas, but also in savanna forest in Surinam (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ).

Few data available, but presumably sedentary and a study in Surinam revealed that three separate guans all remained within territories of 2–9 ha (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ).

Almost exclusively fruit . Diet well studied in French Guiana (4 Érard, C. and Théry, M. (1994). Frugivorie et ornithochorie en forêt Guyanaise: l’exemple des grands oiseaux terrestres et de la Pénélope Marail. [Fruit eating and ornithochory in the forests of Guyana: the example of large terrestrial birds and Marail Guan]. Alauda. 62: 27-31. In French with English summary. Close ); quite selective, with only 24 species of plant recorded, and four (Euterpe oleracea, Eugenia coffeifolia, Guatteria sp. nov., Minquartia guianensis) accounting for 75% of all food taken; almost entirely frugivorous, and continues relying on much-reduced variety of fruits during dry season, when other sympatric, mainly frugivorous species increase their intake of flowers and other plant parts; insects very occasionally taken, representing less than 0·2% of diet. A less comprehensive study undertaken in Surinam identified a number of different species in this guan’s diet (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). Grit sometimes ingested, apparently usually with tougher pulp (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). Some seeds are defecated intact, e.g. those of Eugenia coffeifolia and Euterpe oleracea, and the guan may be an important agent of dispersal for these species (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). Forages singly or in small groups of up to 5–6 (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ), mostly in trees (French Guianan study recorded that 58% of items were taken in canopy and 33% in lower strata) (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ), but sometimes on ground, especially when accompanied by fledglings (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ).

Wing-whirring displays  each lasting c. 5 seconds (3–4 per day) are typically given entirely pre-dawn, at least in S Venezuela, without preliminary calls, but followed by a few “whaf, whaf, whaf  ” calls, likened to the barks of a small dog, and sometimes accompanied by some higher-pitched calls (perhaps females) (2 Delacour, J., and D. Amadon (2004). Curassows and Related Birds. Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Close ). Also gives barking calls at dusk  .

Laying Oct–Nov in French Guiana, with chicks recorded from Nov (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ); in Surinam eggs recorded Dec–Feb and well-grown chicks observed in May (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ); in Brazil chick  recorded in Aug. Nest is cup-like; placed high in fork of tree. Lays 2–3 eggs; incubation 29 days (in captivity).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Total population estimated at c. 150,000 individuals (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). Hunting pressure is probably greater concern than habitat destruction over most of species’ range; in French Guiana, this guan’s numbers were perhaps five times greater in areas not subject to hunting than those that are, and mean group size also was larger (5 Thiollay, J.-M. (2005). Effects of hunting on guianan forest game birds. Biodiversity and Conservation. 14(5): 1121–1135. Close ). Common in many areas, e.g. in Surinam, where hunting is illegal in the species’ breeding season, it was considered common in 1979–1987 (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). Widespread in French Guiana, but considered to be undergoing marked decline in areas with heavy hunting pressure, e.g. around Cayenne, the capital (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ), though elsewhere remains common and at high density (up to five pairs/24 ha) in some parts (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). Considered fairly common at least locally in S Venezuela, where it is known from several protected areas and appears to be only moderately impacted by hunting pressure, but is generally outnumbered by P. jacquacu (1 del Hoyo, J., and A. Motis (2004). Update chapter. In Curassows and Related Birds (J. Delacour, and D. Amadon), Second edition. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain, and American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. pp. 322–476. Close ). In Brazil fairly common in Amapá, N Roraima and around Manaus, Amazonas. Uncommon in collections, but has been bred.