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Yellow-knobbed Curassow - BirdForum Opus

Photo by megan perkins
Hato Pinero, Venezuela, November 2008
Crax daubentoni

Identification

84–92·5 cm (33-36½)

  • Black overall plumage with a blue gloss
  • White lower abdomen and under-tail coverts
Female on right
Photo by Bananafishbones
Hato Pinero, Venezuela, March 2012
  • White-tipped tail feathers
  • Black central pair
  • Curly crest
  • Yellow fleshy knob and wattles at bill base

Sexes similar
Male: yellow cere
Female: white markings on crest and bars on breast and upper belly

Similar Species

Great Curassow which also has a fleshy yellow knob at base of bill; it is also black, but has a green gloss. Can be separated by range, as Great Curassow only occurs in extreme western Colombia, Panama and Ecuador (where it is very rare).

Graphic by Nrg800

Distribution

South America: North Venezuela (north of the Orinoco River) and a few scattered areas in north-eastern Colombia.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Gallery forests and tall scrub.

Status

Numbers are declining due to habitat loss and hunting, giving a BirdLife status of Near Threatened.

Behaviour

Breeding

Both adults build the nest, which is raised above the ground. The clutch consists of 2 eggs.

Diet

Almost half their diet consists of fruit and seeds. They also eat insects, leaves, flowers, roots, fungi, earth and gravel.

Vocalisation

Call: a long, clear whistle, rising and falling until it fades away.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2015)
  3. ArKive
  4. BirdLife International

Recommended Citation

External Links

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