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The species Alagoas Curassow is extinct in the wild. |
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- Mitu mitu
Identification
89 cm. Whitish-tipped red bill, black glossed purplish blue plumage, chestnut under-belly, reddish brown iris and fourteen pale brown-tipped tail feathers, unique bare greyish crescent-shaped ear patch. The female is slightly lighter than the male.
Distribution
Formerly resident in forests in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, particularly around the Murici area. With most of the forest removed for the cultivation of sugarcane, the bird was thought to be extinct. A survey found a small number of birds and captured them for a zoo in Rio de Janeiro. With the continued destruction of the bird's habitat and the hunting pressure on cracids throughout Latin America, it seems unlikely that any wild birds survive. The species is now believed extinct in the wild.
Taxonomy
It has been split into 2 species;
- M tuberosum
- M mitu
Habitat
Forest.
Behaviour
The diet includes fruits.
