Derbian Guan

( Originally Published Early 1900's )

One of the most interesting and at the same time one of the rarest of those in which the bill is broader than high is the so-called Mountain Pheasant, or Derbian Guan (Oreophasis derbianus), which is mainly confined to the woods about the Volcan de Fuego, Guatemala. It has a straight, slender, cylindrical casque on the top of the head between the eyes, this together with the legs and feet being deep vermilion in color. These birds seek their food, which consists largely of the fruits of a kind of plum, in the early morning and evening among the high trees, but during the middle of the day they descend to the ground, where they remain basking and scratching among the leaves. The nest and eggs are not known.