Yungas guan
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2021}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Yungas guan
| image =
| status =
| genus = Penelope
| species = bridgesi
| authority = G.R. Gray, 1860
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision =
| synonyms =
| range_map = Penelope bridgesi map.svg
}}
The Yungas guan (Penelope bridgesi) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in the Andean foothills of Argentina and Bolivia.
Taxonomy and systematics
Prior to late 2020, the Yungas guan was considered a subspecies of dusky-legged guan (Penelope obscura). A 2018 publication detailed many morphological differences between them.{{cite journal |last1=Evangelista-Vargas |first1=O.D |last2=Silveira |first2=L.F. |date=2018 |title=Morphological evidence for the taxonomic status of the Bridge's Guan, Penelope bridgesi, with comments on the validity of P. obscura bronzina (Aves: Cracidae) |journal=Zoologia |volume=35 |pages=e12993 |doi=10.3897/zoologia.35.e12993 |doi-access=free }} An earlier publication had highlighted their very different vocalizations.del Hoyo, J. & Motis, A. (2004) Update Chapter. Pp. 322-476 in: Delacour, J & Amadon, J. 2004 Curassows and Related Birds. Second Edition. Lynx Edicions and NMNH, Barcelona & New York. Based on that evidence and the members' personal knowledge, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society elevated it to species rank in December 2020, and the International Ornithological Congress followed suit in January 2021.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 13 December 2020. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved December 13, 2020{{cite web |url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/ |title=IOC World Bird List (v 11.1) |last1=Gill |first1= F. |last2=Donsker|first2=D.|last3=Rasmussen |first3=P. |date=January 2021 |access-date=January 14, 2021 }}
Description
Male and female Yungas guans are alike. They are chestnut above and dull reddish brown below. The belly has brown to orange horizontal markings and the tail is dark brown. The head and back of the neck are black. Feathers of the neck, back, and chest have white edges that are significantly larger than those of P. obscura. The bare skin of the face is slate gray and the wattle is red.
The Yungas guan is larger than P. obscura; the lengths of nine specimens were between {{convert|77.0|cm|in|abbr=on}} and {{convert|89.0|cm|in|abbr=on}} compared to {{convert|48.0|cm|in|abbr=on}} and {{convert|66.0|cm|in|abbr=on}} for two specimens of P. obscura.{{cite web |url=https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCprop875.htm |title=Elevate Penelope bridgesi to species status and endorse an English name |last1=Pearman |first1=M. |last2=Areta |first2=J.I. |date=August 2020 |publisher=AOS South American Classification Committee |access-date=April 17, 2021 }}
Distribution and habitat
The Yungas guan is found on the east side of the Andes in the Southern Andean Yungas of southwestern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. It inhabits subtropical evergreen forest from below {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} up to approximately {{convert|1900|m|ft|abbr=on}}.del Hoyo, J. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Dusky-legged Guan (Penelope obscura), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.dulgua1.01 retrieved April 17, 2021
Behavior and ecology
Status
The Yungas guan's population may be as high as 100,000 individuals. However, the Argentinian Dirección General de Fauna considers it vulnerable in that country because it is heavily hunted for food and sport. The IUCN has not assessed the species.