Wattled Curassow
Crax globulosa
The Wattled Curassow (Crax globulosa) is a legendary guans, curassows, and chachalaca found in 4 countries, weighing about 2.5 kg. The wattled curassow is a threatened member of the family Cracidae, the curassows, guans, and chachalacas.
About the Wattled Curassow
The wattled curassow is a threatened member of the family Cracidae, the curassows, guans, and chachalacas. It is found in remote rainforests in the western Amazon basin in South America. Males have black plumage, except for a white crissum, with curly feathers on the head and red bill ornaments and wattles. Females and juveniles are similar but lack the bill ornamentation and have a reddish-buff crissum area. The wattled curassow is sister to other southern Crax curassows. In captivity, it sometimes hybridises with the blue-billed curassow.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The wattled curassow is about 82–89 cm (32–35 in) long, and weighs around 2,500 g (88 oz). It is a large curassow lacking the white tail-tips found in many of these birds; the feathers along the crest of its head are curled forwards. Males have black plumage all over except for the white crissum. The irides are dark brown; legs, feet and bill are blackish. It has conspicuous crimson bill ornaments—a round red knob with bony core adorns the maxilla base, while the cere extends apically at least halfway under this knob and below the mandible base forms a small fleshy wattle.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Wattled Curassow?
- The wattled curassow is about 82–89 cm (32–35 in) long, and weighs around 2,500 g (88 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Wattled Curassow?
- The Wattled Curassow is a huge sized bird weighing about 2.5 kg.
- Where can you see a Wattled Curassow?
- The Wattled Curassow occurs in 4 countries, including Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia.
- What birds look similar to a Wattled Curassow?
- The Wattled Curassow is most easily confused with the Red-billed Curassow, the Yellow-knobbed Curassow and the Blue-billed Curassow.
- Is the Wattled Curassow endangered?
- The Wattled Curassow is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Wattled Curassow for real
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