White winged guan (Penelope albipennis) is a local species found in Northern Peru. This is found on the western slopes of the Andes. This lifeform is found from about 1,000 to 4,000 feet in elevation. This is a large guan measuring up to 32 inches in length. In flight, the dorsal outer wing feathers show white. When perched, this is a dark brown bird with a red throat and small red wattle. The neck and breast is marked with feint pale chevrons.

There are no subspecies.

Per Mountfort in his book Rare Birds of the World published in 1988, this species was common in the 1840s. By 1870 it was rare. In 1977 four were seen in the wild. Later several groups of 20 were seen. In l982 population estimates were for fewer than 100 birds (ICBP/IUCN Smithsonian Red Data Book 1992). This species still may exist in a few valleys in the western Andes. Because of the large size, this is an excellent table food for humans. Perhaps it is extinct, or perhaps it is critically endangered.

Bird Watch in 2011 noted that captive birds are being released into selected sites. They estimated the population at about 150 to 250 individuals.

The guan genus Penelope is found from northern Mexico south through much of Central America and mainland South America to northern Argentina. These are large birds from 24 inches (60 cm) to about 32 inches (80 cm) in length. These are mostly darkly colored and most show a red throat and/or a small red wattle. Many species are threatened by hunting and by deforestation.

Guan and Curassow Family (Cracidae Family) are a group of tropical birds found from Texas to Argentina in the New World. There were 38 species known in about 1960. (Monroe (1993) and Howard and Moore (2003) both listed 50 species.) Although members of the fowl group, these birds are unusual in that they nest in trees. Some species are brightly colored. Most examples are from about 20 to 36 inches in length.

Many members of these large chicken like birds are hunted for the table. Since they are also dependent upon forests, many of these species are extinct, potentially extinct, critically endangered, or rare.

Fowl group (Galliformes order) contains the various chickens and turkey-like birds of the world. There are about 240 different species of fowl known. Many of the wild species are endangered. Several species such as the domesticated chicken and turkey are main food sources in the world. Most fowl are grain eaters and spend a good portion of their life searching for food on the ground. Select species have been domesticated for their beauty and/or edibility, others are considered good game birds.

Aves contains about 8,650 different species of living birds known to science. Each year about one new species is discovered in some remote rain forest or remote island. In addition, scientists have been raising many subspecies to full species status which may raise the species count to 10,000. Birdlife recognizes 10,027 species as of 2011.

However, each year about one species goes extinct. The rate of extinction is increasing, and the rate of new discovery is decreasing, so that the number of bird species will soon begin to decline rapidly. Although different taxonomists would organize the birds differently, there are approximately twenty-seven orders of birds. These orders are broken down into about one hundred and fifty-five different families.

Recent research of the genetic structure of some of the shore birds and owls would indicate that the present organization of orders and families should have some modification.

The birds are a worldwide group of animals that are characterized by having the front limbs modified into wings that are used for flying. Perhaps the most unique feature of the birds is the feathers. These feathers are made up of a central support called a quill and a series of small filaments that are hooked together as barbs.

For many years it was believed that Archaeopteryx discovered in Bavaria was the oldest bird from about 150 million years ago. However, in l986, Sankar Chattterjee, a Texas paleontologist, reportedly discovered a bird in the genus Protoavis that lived about 225 million years ago.

When this project was begun in 1978, we used Austin & Singer for bird taxonomy. Since then, we have adopted many changes, but have kept some older concepts that are still found widely in the literature. Recently, we have used Clements and Howard & Moore. Very recently, we have used Monroe and Sibley for the higher taxonomy of the perching birds.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

NEW SEARCH