Crested Guan

Crested Guan

Penelope purpurascens

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCNTNear ThreatenedVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Tenorio Volcano National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

2,185 Verified sightings at Tenorio Volcano National Park From 2019 to 2026
27,828 In all 37 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Crested Guan

The crested guan (Penelope purpurascens) is a Near Threatened species in an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which are related to the Australasian megapodes or mound builders (Megapodiidae). It is found from central Mexico through Central America and in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

The crested guan is 76 to 91.5 cm (30 to 36 in) long and weighs about 1.6 to 2.4 kg (3.5 to 5.3 lb). Among standard measurements, its wing chord is 33 to 37 cm (13 to 15 in), its tail is 29 to 36 cm (11 to 14 in), and its tarsus is 6.5 to 8.6 cm (2.6 to 3.4 in). It is similar in general appearance to a turkey, with a small head, long strong legs, and a long broad tail. The sexes are similar. Adults of the nominate subspecies are mostly dusky olive brown and have a faint greenish or purplish iridescence. Their belly and crissum are chestnut and the breast and belly feathers have white edges. Their throat has some bristles and its loose skin dangles as a... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Alarm call0:35

Ecuador · 2023

© rudy gelis · XC829100 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:10

Panama · 2019

© Kent Livezey · XC542971 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:08

Belize · 2019

© Paul Driver · XC522434 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~70%
2 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
3 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
4 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~40%
5 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
6 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
7 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
8 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~30%
9 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
10 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
11 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
12 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
13 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
14 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
15 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
16 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
17 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
18 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
19 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
20 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
21 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
22 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
23 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
24 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
25 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
26 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
27 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
28 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
30 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
31 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
33 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
34 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
35 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
36 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
37 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Yumka' 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
2 Curitiba Zoo 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
3 Africam Safari 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
4 Guadalajara Zoo 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
5 Aviario Nacional de Colombia 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity
6 Safari Masai Mara 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
7 Zoológico de Vallarta 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
8 Santacruz zoo 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity
9 Parque Zoobotânico Orquidário Municipal de Santos 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
10 ARCAS Petén Education Centre 🇬🇹 Guatemala In captivity
11 Emperor Valley Zoo 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago In captivity
12 Parque museo La Venta 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
13 Biouniverzoo 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
14 La Aurora Zoo 🇬🇹 Guatemala In captivity
15 Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Crested Guan in Tenorio Volcano National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Guan sighting in Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 2,185 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 444 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Crested Guan in Tenorio Volcano National Park?

June

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Guan in Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 40% in April and September–February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Crested Guan?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crested Guan sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Tenorio Volcano National Park the best place to see a Crested Guan?

2nd of 37

Of the 37 parks where we can rate Crested Guan sightings, Tenorio Volcano National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%). All parks ranked.

Which relatives of the Crested Guan live in Tenorio Volcano National Park?

Same family: Cracidae

The closest relatives of the Crested Guan that you can see in Tenorio Volcano National Park (family Cracidae, Guans, Chachalacas, and Curassows) are Great Curassow (about 20%) and Gray-headed Chachalaca (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Crested Guan sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Crested Guan is recorded against all the birds logged in Tenorio Volcano National Park (2,185 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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