Helmeted Curassow
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| iHelmeted Curassow | ||||||||||||||
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| Pauxi pauxi Linnaeus, 1766 |
The Helmeted Curassow, Pauxi pauxi also known as Northern Helmeted Curassow is a large, up to 91cm long, terrestrial black curassow with a small head, large bluish grey casque on forehead, red bill, white-tipped tail feathers, greenish glossed mantle and breast feathers, and white below. Both sexes are similar. The female is smaller than male. Some rare rufous morph female has a black barred and reddish brown plumage.
One of the largest birds in South America, the Helmeted Curassow is distributed to eastern Andes of Venezuela and Colombia. The diet consists mainly of seeds, fruits, insects and small animals. The female lays two cream colored eggs and incubates it for about 30 days.
Due to ongoing habitat lost, small population size and hunted in some areas, the Helmeted Curassow is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Pauxi pauxi. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 1 November 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
