Nest and egg description of the Andean Guan (Penelope montagnii, Cracidae)

Chachalacas, guans, and curassows are the most threatened Neotropical birds. However, information about their reproduction has not been well-documented for several species. Here, we provide the first description of nest and eggs of the Andean Guan (Penelope montagnii) in Andean highland forests from Colombia. We also compile nest and egg characteristics in the other 14 Penelope species. An active nest made of dry leaves and ferns was found over a simple platform 1.22 m above the ground on a Daphnopsis caracasana tree. Like other Penelope species, clutch size consisted of three oval and white eggs. The average egg measurements and mass were as follows: 69.66 mm× 46.32 mm, 81.6 g. We gathered the available information on the nest type, nesting materials, phorophyte, nest dimensions, the distance of the nest to the ground, and the clutch size and egg dimensions for all Penelope species. We only found three species with detailed information of eggs and nests, besides the Andean Guan reported here. In general, these species construct their nests over simple platforms, employing plant materials available from the environment. Nests present dimensions with external and internal diameters between 30-60 cm and 18-38.5 cm respectively, and depths ranging from 5 to 25 cm. Importantly, these trends are far to be conclusive due to the remarkable gaps of knowledge in nesting ecology for most of Penelope species. We encourage additional studies on reproductive ecology for these birds.