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Great Curassow

Crax rubra

A forest-dwelling spectacle, this turkey-sized bird with its distinctive curly crest is a sight to behold in Central and South American rainforests.
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Visual Identification

Appearance

The Great Curassow is a large, ground-dwelling bird with striking sexual dimorphism. Males are predominantly black with a distinctive yellow knob on their bill and a curly crest of feathers on their head. They have a white belly and undertail coverts.

Females exhibit two colour morphs: barred and rufous. Barred females have black and white striped bodies, while rufous females are reddish-brown. Both female types have black-and-white crests and lack the yellow bill knob.

Juvenile males initially resemble the darker-coloured female but soon change to the black of the adult male. They do not, however, feature the yellow knob on the bill of the adult. Juvenile females have similar morphs to adult females.

Size

Length

84cm to 92cm

Wingspan

100cm to 120cm

Weight

3kg to 4.8kg

Colours

Primary Colour

Black White

Secondary Colour

Yellow

Beak Colour

Yellow

Leg Colour

Grey

Primary Colour (Female)

Brown Black

Secondary Colour (Female)

Buff White

Beak Colour (Female)

Black

Leg Colour (Female)

Grey

Habitat and Distribution

Habitats

Woodland

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Woodland habitats.

Garden

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Garden habitats.

Wetland

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Wetland habitats.

Coastal

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Coastal habitats.

Urban

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Urban habitats.

Farmland

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Farmland habitats.

Grassland

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Grassland habitats.

Desert

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Desert habitats.

Tundra

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Tundra habitats.

Rainforest

The Great Curassow can be found in Rainforest habitats.

Mountain

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Mountain habitats.

Savanna

The Great Curassow is not typically found in Savanna habitats.

Distribution

Great Curassows inhabit tropical and subtropical rainforests from eastern Mexico through Central America to western Colombia and Ecuador. They prefer undisturbed, mature forests with a dense canopy and open understory.

While primarily found in lowland forests, they can occur at elevations up to 1,900 meters.

Elevation Range

Sea level to 1,900 meters

Climate zones

Tropical

Distribution Map

This map gives you a rough idea of where you might spot a Great Curassow. The coloured areas show countries where these birds have been seen.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • Birds might not be everywhere in the coloured areas, for example, they may be present around the coast of that country
  • Where birds live can change with seasons and available food
  • This map is quite simple - it doesn't show exact locations

We're working on making our maps even better! Soon, we hope to show you:

  • More detailed maps for bigger countries, including state and region
  • How birds move around during different seasons