Gilbert's painting evokes the crisp cool feeling of the mountain air and what must be the breathtaking experience of watching such a great bird. In April 1986, I joined a tour for a week's visit to El Triunfo, Mexico. This involves a three-day hike from the coastal Pacific lowlands to the cloud forest at 6000' elevation where we camped in tents. The entire trip was great for birds but it was a poor year for the Horned Guan. Despite missing Horned Guan, there were fine experiences that trip with Highland Guan Penelopina nigra .
Several species are quite rare.
The White-winged Guan Penelope albipennis of arid scrub in northwestern Peru was thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1977. Because these are huge chicken-like birds, everywhere that man expands and develops in the Neotropics, the guans and curassows are among the first birds to disappear. Although the guans and curassows take the headlines, a dozen cracids are chachalacas in the genus Ortalis . They, like all the chachalacas, travel about in noisy bands. Sometimes groups can be found feeding or roosting in large trees in the early morning, as was this particular bird.