Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species is suspected to be declining rapidly as a result of ongoing deforestation across its range. Hunting may also be impacting the species's population size. It is therefore listed as Vulnerable.
Population justification
The species has been considered rare and in general there are few visual records, with records made most frequently in the Pantanal and in the Cantão State Park, Tocantins (Dornas and Pinheiro 2018). In Cantão State Park, an average abundance of 0.12 - 0.38 individuals per kilometre of river was estimated (Dornas and Pinheiro 2007). In the Paranã river valley on the border of Goiás and Tocantins, a relative abundance of c.40 individuals per 100 hours of sampling was calculated (Pacheco and Olmos 2006).
The population size has not been estimated directly. Based on a population density of 0.12 - 0.38 individuals per km2, an estimated area of forest habitat with at least 50% canopy cover of 143,600 km2 in 2020 (Global Forest Watch 2021), and assuming 10-40% of habitat within its mapped range is occupied, the population size is tentatively suspected to be within the range 1,723-21,827 individuals. This is assumed to roughly equate to 1,149-14,551 mature individuals, here rounded to 1,000 - 15,000 mature individuals.
The Brazilian Red List considers that the species has three subpopulations (Dornas and Pinheiro 2018).
Trend justification
Over 19 years from 2000-2019, approximately 17% of tree cover with at least 50% canopy cover was lost within the species's range (Global Forest Watch 2021). Extrapolating this rate over three generations (23.04 years), an estimated 20% of tree cover was lost from the species's range over the past three generations. The species's population size may not be proportionate to tree cover, especially as it is found frequently in gallery or seasonally flooded forests, which may be less affected by deforestation than dry forests. However, the species's population size may be additionally impacted by hunting. Overall, the population size is suspected to have undergone a reduction within the range of 15-25% over the past three generations.
Over four years from 2016-2019, approximately 5.4% of tree cover with at least 50% canopy cover was lost within the species's range (Global Forest Watch 2021). Assuming that the drivers of deforestation are stable, and extrapolating this rate over three generations (23.04 years), it is projected that up to 31% of tree cover may be lost from the species's range over three generations from 2016, and up to 33% may be lost over three generations from 2021. The population size is therefore suspected to undergo reductions of 18-36% over three generations from 2016, and 20-38% over three generations from 2021.
Penelope ochrogaster occurs in the cerrado and northern Pantanal of central Brazil. It occurs in the Pantanal in the states of Matto Grosso and Matto Gross do Sul, along the Araguaia river valley from Goiás and Matto Grosso north through Tocantins, and at several localities in western Minas Gerais (including the São Francisco river valley; Olmos 2003, Antas 2006, Mazzoni et al. 2015, Dornas and Pinheiro 2018, WikiAves 2018). There had been no records from the São Francisco River since 1913, until the species was observed twice on one of its tributaries in a 1998-2007 survey (Faria et al. 2009). The species is assumed to be extinct from much of its former range (Olmos 1998).
It inhabits a variety of types of forest, including dry forest, seasonally flooded forest and gallery forest, and savanna (Silveira 2008). It prefers dense forest rich in woody lianas, with a continuous canopy (Dornas and Pinheiro 2018). It feeds on the flowers of Tabebuia trees, Vitex fruit and liana leaves (Olmos 1998, Dornas and Pinheiro 2018).
Habitat loss, primarily for agriculture, and hunting, are the primary threats to the species (Silveira 2008, Dornas and Pinheiro 2018). Large areas of central Brazil have been converted to plantations of eucalyptus and soybeans, and cattle pasture (Stotz et al.1996, Parker and Willis 1997). Much of this destruction has occurred since 1950, and has been encouraged by government land reform initiatives (Parker and Willis 1997). Habitat is also lost and degraded through forest fires, usually from escaped agricultural fires, and by selective logging (Pinheiro 2007, Silveira 2008). The construction of a hydro-electricity plant in Palmas municipality, Tocantins is thought to have caused the local extinction of the species (Dornas and Pinheiro 2018). The species is a popular target for hunting in the Araguaia river valley (Dornas and Pinheiro 2018). Climate change may lead to further habitat loss (Borges et al. 2019); an analysis projected that the species may lose 69-80% of its 1990 distribution by 2099 as a result of climate change (Marini et al. 2009).
Conservation Actions Underway
It is included in the National Action Plan for the Conservation of the Birds of the Cerrado and Pantanal, which includes actions to map habitat corridors for the species, create further protected areas, reduce habitat loss and restore habitat (ICMBio 2014). It has been recorded in several protected areas including Pantanal Matogrossense National Park, Araguaia National Park, Cantão State Park, Ilha do Bananal/Cantão Area of Environmental Protection, Quelônios do Araguaia Wildlife Refuge, Encontro das Águas State Park, and the Sesc Pantanal Private Natural Heritage Reserve (Dornas and Pinheiro 2018).
67-77 cm. Medium-sized, brownish cracid. Pale brown head, becoming darker brown on upperparts, wings and tail. Chestnut-rufous underparts, brighter on belly. White flecking from upper breast to mid-belly and on wing-coverts. Whitish supercilium contrasts with dark eyebrow, which extends around auricular and throat. Dusky facial skin. Red-orange throat and dewlap. Similar spp. Rusty-margined Guan P. superciliaris is smaller with unstreaked wing-coverts and browner belly. Voice Raven-like cry reported. Harsh, loud alarm calls.
Text account compilers
Wheatley, H.
Contributors
Olmos, F., Antas, P., Benstead, P., Sharpe, C.J., Symes, A., Khwaja, N., Capper, D. & Symes, A.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Chestnut-bellied Guan Penelope ochrogaster. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/chestnut-bellied-guan-penelope-ochrogaster on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.