Birds
Curassow
Crax · also called curassows
A curassow’s deep, booming call rolls through the forest well before the bird itself comes into view, a sound made possible by a windpipe long enough in some species to coil back on itself before reaching the lungs. The bird producing it is substantial too, turkey-sized and topped with a curled crest that gives it an unmistakable silhouette on the forest floor.
Overview
The curassow, genus Crax, is a large, turkey-sized forest bird native to rainforest across Central and South America. A curled head crest and an elongated windpipe capable of producing deep booming calls are among its most distinctive features.
Big, loud, and heavily hunted
The same large size that makes a curassow’s call so resonant has also made it a longstanding target for subsistence and commercial hunting, a pressure that, combined with deforestation, has pushed several species toward a more precarious conservation status.
Status
Vulnerable — declining across parts of its range from hunting pressure and ongoing rainforest loss.
Curassow: common questions
Why does a curassow have such a deep, booming call?
Several curassow species have an unusually long, sometimes coiled windpipe, an anatomical adaptation that helps produce a deep, resonant, booming call capable of carrying effectively through dense forest habitat, where limited visibility makes long-distance visual communication far less reliable than sound.
What is the crest on a curassow's head for?
The distinctive curled or forward-curving crest of feathers found on many curassow species likely plays a role in visual display and species or individual recognition, though the exact crest shape and prominence varies considerably between different curassow species within the genus.
Why are curassow populations declining in some areas?
Curassow species have historically been heavily hunted for food across parts of their Central and South American range due to their large body size, and this hunting pressure, combined with ongoing deforestation reducing available rainforest habitat, has contributed to population declines for several species within the group.
Does a curassow spend more time on the ground or in trees?
A curassow spends the majority of its time on or near the forest floor foraging for fruit, seeds, and small invertebrates, generally reserving flight for reaching a roosting perch at night or escaping an immediate threat, despite being fully capable of flight when needed.