It has a large white crest and a red throat wattle with a dark blue patch at the front.

Its ring of bare white skin around the dark eye and black-feathered face and forehead are unique in its genus.

It ranges near the Brazilian coast roughly from Paraná state north to Rio de Janeiro and also in Argentina's far northeastern Misiones Province and adjacent eastern Paraguay.

[4] The black-fronted piping guan forages alone, in pairs, or in groups as large as 11, usually in trees but sometimes on the ground.

[4] The black-fronted piping guan's breeding season appears to span at least August to December based on the dates of observations of displays, eggs, and nestlings.

The black-fronted piping guan's primary vocalization is a "series of thin, rising whistles similar to those of congenerics".

Its range and population have been severely reduced by habitat destruction and hunting and it is now rare outside of a few protected areas.