Curassows

*Wattled        * Blue-Billed          * Northern Helmeted

Wattled Curassow

Scientific Name: Crax globulosa

The Wattled curassow's range consists of Upper Amazonia from southeastern Columbia south along the eastern foothills of the Andes through Ecuador and Peru to northeastern Bolivia. They inhabit somewhat dry areas in the tropical Amazonian forest, staying away from swampy places. Curassows in general are about the size of a wild turkey, averaging 7 - 8 lbs. (3.5 kg). Their diet consists of fruits and greens. The captive diet is similar with chopped fruit, greens and seeds. Wattled Curassows are one of the more common curassows in captivity, but little is known about them.

Wattled curassows get their name from the bright scarlet knobs and wattles on their bills. The knobs are more prominent in the males than in the females. Both have glossy black plumage with the male’s abdomen being white; the female’s rufous or rust-colored. Both have a crest of curly feathers on the top of their head. The crest on the female is shorter. It is used in moments of nervousness, aggression, or inquisitiveness and its use is very expressive. Unlike other curassows, it may not descend to the ground as frequently, opting to move along horizontal limbs, making observation of this bird difficult in the wild.

As with other curassows, Wattled curassows tend to be monogamous. After mating, the females lays two eggs and after an average 32 day incubation, the chicks hatch. Able to move about soon after hatching, the chicks have been observed (in a captive situation) climbing up a slanted fence rail to roost on their first night. Wattled curassows are one of only two species of ‘whistling curassows’, the other being the Yellow-knobbed curassow. Both lack the ‘booming’ song heard in other curassows. The song is completely different - a long leisurely whistle. Males have been observed uttering these long whistles, opening the beak widely to do so. The song may be used as a note of annoyance or alarm as well as during courtship. In the case of courtship, the male may be not only seeking to attract and hold a mate, but also warning off rival males.

Blue Billed Curassow

Scientific Name: Crax alberti

Blue-billed curassows are found in the tropical zone of northern Colombia. Their habitat consists of the humid lowlands of the north coast of Columbia, most commonly below 2000 ft altitude. They are about the size of a wild turkey, weighing approximately 7 - 8 lbs. (3.5 kg) They feed primarily on fruit and greens. Once called the Prince Albert’s curassow, the blue-billed curassow is a more descriptive name for this bird.

The male has a slightly swollen cere and wattles that are a bright blue. The plumage is black with a white abdomen. The female also has a blue cere which is not as swollen in appearance and her plumage is black with narrow white barring on the feathers and the abdomen is rufous or rust-colored. Both sexes have a head crest of curled feathers that will stand up during displays of courtship, excitement or agitation. Females incubate two eggs for up to 32 days while the male guards the area surrounding the nest; both parents take part in the raising of the chicks once hatched.

Their main diet in the wild consists of items they can acquire on or near the ground since their main feeding habits are terrestrial. Blue-bills are one of the ‘booming curassows’. Males have been observed hunched over, somewhat puffed out and with bill closed, booming or growling in an undertone. Typical booming by curassows seems to be a song in the usual sense, given by a male in territory and probably delivered from a few favorite perches. It may serve to warn away rival males, to attract a mate, or to help maintain a pair bond. In areas where more than one species of curassow with a booming song live together or where the ranges of two such species meet (for example, the greater and the blue-billed curassows) differences in the pattern of the song may act as an ‘isolating mechanism’ that prevents or helps to prevent hybridization of two species. In general, curassows sing morning and evening and sometimes on moonlit nights. Some may continue to sing well past dawn or at intervals throughout the day.

Northern Helmeted Currasow

Scientific Name: Pauxi pauxi pauxi

The Northern Helmeted Curassow's range includes the mountains of central and coastal Venezuela from central Miranda and southeastern Falcon west to the boundary with Columbia, as well as extreme northeastern Colombia. Thier habitat consists of rain or cloud forests in the subtropical zone and adjacent edges of the tropical and temperate zones. With their center of distribution at about 3200 to 4700 ft., Northern Helmeted curassows are more cold hardy than other curassows. They are about the size of a wild turkey, curassows weigh approximately 7 - 8 lbs (3.5kg).

Thier diet consists of primarily fruit and greens in the wild. Thier captive diet consists of various chopped fruits, greens, seeds and grains. Northern Helmeted Curassows are a very striking bird in appearance, they have a distinctive large, fig-shaped, pale slate-blue casque on their head. Their feathers are primarily a sooty blue-black color with white tips on the tail feathers and a white abdomen. Males and females are very similar in appearance. The female’s casque is slightly smaller than the male’s. Except when roosting, nesting, or when the male is singing, the Northern Helmeted curassow is usually found on the ground or in low trees. It moves quite slowly through the underbrush and is a very elusive bird. It stays clear of roads and clearings. N.H. curassows prefer the twilight hours and humid gorges with thick undergrowth of dwarf palms and terrestrial aroids forming their principal habitat.

Like other curassows, the Northern Helmeted curassow tends to be monogamous but egg incubation is done by the female alone. Normally, two large, thick-shelled eggs are laid and incubation is approximately 29-32 days. The chicks, like other curassow young, are able to move about as soon as they dry off from hatching. There is evidence that the male of the pair may help to raise the chicks once they are hatched.