Cerro Guanay is a

tepui A tepui , or tepuy (), is a member of a family of table-top mountains or mesas found in northern South America, especially in Venezuela, western Guyana, and northern Brazil. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the ...

(table-top mountain) in southern Bolívar state of

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. It extends up to approximately 2300 meters elevation. Tepuis are isolated flat-topped sandstone mountains with a montane flora and fauna distinct from the surrounding lowlands. Cerro Guanay is home to many tepui-endemic species animals and plants. 19 species characteristic of the tepuis have been recorded there, including Chapman's bristle-tyrant (''Pogonotriccus chapmani''), Tepui wren (''Troglodytes rufulus''),

Tepui brushfinch The tepui brushfinch (''Atlapetes personatus'') is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae. It is found in the tepuis of Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosy ...

(''Atlapetes personatus''), flutist wren (''Microcerculus ustulatus''), buff-breasted sabrewing (''Campylopterus duidae''),

olive manakin The olive manakin (''Xenopipo uniformis'') is a species of bird in the family Pipridae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the s ...

(''Xenopipo uniformis''), Tepui antpitta (''Myrmothera simplex''), golden-tufted grackle (''Macroagelaius imthurni''), velvet-browed brilliant (''Heliodoxa xanthogonys''), Tepui swift (''Streptoprocne phelpsi''), black-fronted tyrannulet (''Phylloscartes nigrifrons''), scaled flowerpiercer (''Diglossa duidae''), white-faced whitestart (''Myioborus albifacies''), scarlet-horned manakin (''Ceratopipra cornuta''), and peacock coquette (''Lophornis pavoninus''). Endemic plants include '' Bonnetia crassa'', '' Kunhardtia rhodantha'', ''

Brocchinia melanacra ''Brocchinia melanacra'' is a species of plant in the genus ''Brocchinia''. This species is endemic to Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting o ...

'', and '' Tepuipappus esposi'', as well as species of

Eriocaulaceae The Eriocaulaceae are a family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the order Poales, commonly known as the pipewort family. The family is large, with about 1207 known species described in seven genera. They are widely distri ...

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

, and

Xyridaceae The Xyridaceae are a family of flowering plants. This family has been recognized by many taxonomists and is known as the yellow-eyed grass family. The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system of 1998), also recognizes this family, ...

. The Venezuelan government designated Cerro Guanay a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

in 1990, which protects an area of 1348.09 km².

References

{{Tepuis , Venezuela Mountains of Bolívar (state) Tepuis of Venezuela Natural monuments of Venezuela