Guan , a gallinaceous bird, of the family cra-cidoe or curassows, and subfamily penelopinoe; it includes the genera ortalida, penelope, and oreophasis, the first two South American, and the last peculiar to Central America. (For the family characters, see Curassow.) In the genus penelope (Merrem) the bill is shorter than the head, broad at the base, arched at the tip; wings short and rounded, with the fourth to the sixth quills the longest, and the first series arched and narrowed at the ends; tail long, very broad, and rounded at the end; tarsi rather slender, as long as the middle toe; hind toe long and on the same plane with the others; claws short and curved; the sides of the head and front of the throat naked and wattled, the latter capable of inflation. The crested guan (P. eristata, Linn.) is the largest, measuring from 2 to 2 1/2 ft. in length; the color is a shining reddish green, with rump and belly chestnut, neck and chest white spotted; naked temples violet, and the throat and feet red; the female is of a more reddish tint, with the crest, neck, and mantle bordered with white.

Several other species are described, all inhabiting the central portion of South America. Though the guans have most of the habits of the curassows, they are far less gregarious; they are more noisy and restless, and have two broods in a year, about January and June; the nests are built in trees. They are mild and peaceable, easily domesticated, breeding in captivity. They are heavy fliers, but rapid runners, keeping their wings unfolded. - The par-raqua guans (ortalida, Merrem) have the head and throat covered with feathers, or with very slight bare spaces on the cheeks and throat; the bill is higher and more pheasant-like than in the penelope. The best known species (0. katraca, Bodd.) is about 20 in. long, bronze-colored above, whitish beneath, and reddish on the head; they prefer woods near the seacoast, and are fond of cultivated fields; the voice is loud and disagreeable, resembling the utterance of their specific name; they are found only in the warm regions of South America. - A curious and handsome bird of this family is the oreophasis Berbianus (Gray), from Guatemala. The base of the bill is covered with velvety black down; the space above the eye is naked, and the forehead is surmounted by a broad, rounded, truncated red knob; there is a small bare space on the throat.

The general color above is greenish black; below whitish, with longitudinal blackish dashes; white band on the middle of the long and rounded tail; bill, legs, and bare spaces red.

Crested (Juan (Penelope cristata).