Crested Guan | Animalz

Crested GuanThe Crested Guan is a large bird with a prominent crest. A Belize Zoo guide describes it in Belizean forests and as an arboreal species.What does it look like?It has a prominent crest on its head. The Belize Zoo species guide describes it as a large bird.A large forest bird nibbling young leavesCrested Guans eat leaves and insects as well as fruit. On Panama’s Barro Colorado Island, they repeatedly tore small pieces from leaves.A June–August2015 study recorded141 food items:61.7% leaves,24.8% insects and13.5% fruit. Young leaves accounted for82.8% of leaf items.Most feeding occurred in trees. Young leaves are softer and richer in nitrogen than mature ones. These observations reveal another important part of the birds’ forest food resources.Keeping it safeIUCN Red List (BirdLife listing) · Near Threatened · GlobalBirdLife lists Near Threatened. Hunting, deforestation and logging are concerns. Feeding research helps identify the forest resources used by the species.