Black Curassow

Overview

The black curassow, also known as the smooth-billed or crested curassow, is a large bird in the family Cracidae found in humid forests of northern South America. It is the only Crax species where males and females are indistinguishable by plumage, as both are essentially black with a white crissum.

Identification

• Approximately 900 mm in length with black upper parts glossed with a purplish sheen and white underparts.
• Possesses a grey beak without knobs or wattles and an inconspicuous black crest in males, while females have a crest barred with white.
• Features yellow or orange-red skin at the base of the bill, varying by region, and a white crissum area around the cloaca.
• Juveniles appear black, barred, and mottled with reddish-brown and reddish-buff.

Habitat

This largely ground-dwelling bird inhabits the undergrowth of lowland forests and plantations, as well as riverside thickets. Its range covers humid forests in northern South America, including Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and far northern Brazil, and it has been introduced to several Caribbean islands.

Diet

The species is a largely ground-dwelling forager that mostly consumes fruit, alongside buds, shoots, leaves, flowers, fungi, and invertebrates. It nests a few metres above the ground on a platform of sticks in trees.

Did you know?

It is unique among its genus for having male and females that cannot be separated by plumage, as both sexes are essentially black with a white crissum.