About Pipile cumanensis (Jacquin, 1784)
The blue-throated piping guan, Pipile cumanensis (Jacquin, 1784), has been described as oddly 'prehistoric' (reptilian) yet handsome. Adults measure 60 to 69 cm (24 to 27 in) in length and weigh approximately 970 to 1,350 g (2.14 to 2.98 lb). It has a long neck and long tail, with a disproportionately thin, small neck and head, and a disproportionately long tail. Males and females have identical appearance. Most of its plumage is blackish with a greenish blue gloss, which is most prominent on the shoulders, wings, and tail. Its forehead, crown, and nape are white, and the fringes of its breast feathers are also white. The outer wing coverts are white, forming a large patch on the folded wing, while the inner coverts have white spots. Bare skin ranging from white to cobalt blue surrounds the dark reddish brown eye. The bare skin of its dewlap can be white to cobalt blue, slaty purple, dark purplish gray, or black. Its bill may be pale blue with a black tip, or black with a pinkish and blue base. Its legs are colored reddish, brownish red, or rose. This species is distributed in far northwestern Bolivia, eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador, central and eastern Colombia, southern and eastern Venezuela, the Guianas, and northwestern Brazil. It lives in humid tropical forest across the Amazon Basin, including terra firme, várzea, gallery, and semi-deciduous forest types. In the Guianas, it also occurs in less forested coastal areas. It almost always lives within about 100 m (330 ft) of rivers. Its maximum elevation range varies by country: it reaches 300 m (980 ft) in Bolivia, 400 m (1,300 ft) in Ecuador, 500 m (1,600 ft) in Colombia, 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Venezuela, and 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in Peru.
