This large bird stands out for its rufous breast and belly and blue bare skin on the face. In Peruvian mountain forest it searches for food in the mid-canopy and on the ground.
Adults have olive-brown plumage with pale speckling, a rufous breast and belly, bright blue bare skin on the face around the eyes, and red legs.
In Ecuador’s Sickle-winged Guan subspecies fagani, chicks have mainly black down with two chestnut dorsal stripes. A2026 report describes their nesting.
Monitoring one active nest in May2020 found a29-day incubation period. The platform-like nests had central depressions; reported egg-bearing nests held two eggs.
A review compiled eight reproductive records through March2026, concentrated in May and June, suggesting an association with northern Ecuador’s wet-to-dry transition.
IUCN Red List (BirdLife listing) · Least Concern · Global
BirdLife lists Least Concern. Nesting research adds information on incubation, young and seasonality, providing a foundation for understanding breeding habitats.