Trinidad piping guan
The Trinidad piping guan (Pipile pipile) is a large, turkey-like bird in the Cracidae family. It is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and is found only on the island of Trinidad. It is protected under CITES Appendix I, which means international trade is highly restricted.
Taxonomy: Kingdom Animalia; Phylum Chordata; Class Aves; Order Galliformes; Family Cracidae; Genus Pipile; Species Pipile pipile.
Description: This medium-sized cracid grows to about 60 cm in length. It is mainly black with a purple gloss, a large black crest edged with white, and big white patches on the wings. The face and bare wattle are blue, and the legs are red. Its call is a thin piping sound, and its wings make a whir as it flies.
Habitat and behavior: The Trinidad piping guan is forest-dwelling and mainly arboreal, building nests in trees. It feeds mostly on fruit, especially berries, and also eats flowers and leaves. Whether it regularly eats insects is not clearly confirmed. The female incubates the eggs, and a typical clutch is three large white eggs.
Distribution and status: This bird was once common in Trinidad’s Northern Range, Trinity Hills, Nariva Swamp, and Aripo Savannas. It has disappeared from the lowlands and is almost certainly extinct in the Trinity Hills. A credible sighting was reported in 2000 in the Northern Range, but no solid confirmation exists. Only about 200–350 square kilometers (77–135 square miles) of suitable habitat remain, keeping the species at very high risk of extinction.
Evolution and relatives: The Trinidad piping guan’s closest living relative is the blue-throated piping guan of mainland South America. Genetic evidence suggests the Trinidad bird diverged from mainland ancestors tens to hundreds of thousands of years ago, with the island population later becoming isolated.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:26 (CET).