Speckled Chachalaca

In Ecuador, the Speckled Guan inhabits lowland and foothill Amazonian forests, where it moves through the mid‑story and canopy in small groups or family parties. It is most often encountered in well‑preserved rainforest, including protected areas where hunting pressure is low. Although widespread across the Amazon Basin, it becomes scarce in areas where hunting is common, as its size and predictable canopy movements make it an easy target. In Ecuador’s Amazonian reserves, however, it remains a regular and sometimes conspicuous species, especially at dawn and dusk when its loud yelping calls echo through the forest.

The Speckled Guan is famous for its rattling wing display, a dramatic sound produced at dawn and dusk when the bird stretches its wings and shakes them while gliding between branches — a behavior used in courtship and territorial signaling. It also produces loud, dog‑like yelping calls that can be startling when heard at night, as the species sometimes vocalizes on bright, moonlit evenings. The bird is named after the 19th‑century naturalist Dr. Johann Baptist von Spix, who collected the first scientific specimens in Brazil. Its dependence on protected areas makes it a symbol of the importance of rainforest conservation across the Amazon.