Wattled Curassow (Crax globulosa)

By /
Image of a Wattled Curassow in its natural habitat
Birds Curassow

Introduction

The Wattled Curassow (Crax globulosa) is a large, resident cracid of the western Amazon Basin. It belongs to the family Cracidae, which also includes guans and chachalacas. The species is closely associated with seasonally flooded riverine forests and islands, where it is threatened by habitat loss and hunting.

Physical Description

The Wattled Curassow is a large forest bird, approximately 85–95 cm long. Adult males are predominantly glossy black, with a contrasting white lower abdomen and undertail area. They have a curled black crest and distinctive fleshy red ornaments on and below the bill, including a bulbous knob and wattles. These structures are generally more conspicuous in males.

Females lack the male’s prominent bill ornaments. They are mainly dark brown or blackish, with a finely barred crest and reddish-buff colouring on the lower abdomen and undertail coverts. Juveniles resemble females more closely than adult males and develop adult plumage gradually.

Range and Habitat

The Wattled Curassow has a discontinuous distribution in the western and central Amazon Basin. It occurs in parts of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and northern Bolivia. The species is resident rather than migratory, although local movements may follow river levels and the availability of food.

Its principal habitat is humid várzea, or seasonally flooded forest along white-water rivers. It also uses river margins, gallery forest, floodplain forest and forested islands. Studies in Bolivia and Brazil indicate that suitable habitat is concentrated close to river edges, rather than throughout all available floodplain forest. The species generally occurs at low elevations, often in landscapes shaped by annual flooding.

Behaviour and Diet

Wattled Curassows are usually quiet and difficult to observe. They may forage alone, in pairs, in family groups or in small groups of several birds. They use both trees and the forest floor, although field studies indicate that much feeding occurs in vegetation above ground and that ground foraging may be less frequent than in some related curassows.

The diet is dominated by fruits and seeds, supplemented by leaves and flowers. Field observations along the Juruá River recorded the use of many plant species, while stomach analyses also found invertebrates and swallowed pebbles. The balance of plant foods changes seasonally, with fruit and seed availability particularly important during periods of high water. As a large frugivorous bird, the species may contribute to the movement of seeds through floodplain forest.

Reliable information on breeding remains limited. In a study in western Brazil, nests were found during the dry, low-water season. The nests were positioned close to water, either on branches and vines or within bromeliads, and each of the nine nests contained two eggs. Nest predation was substantial in that study, indicating that reproductive losses may add to the pressures created by hunting and habitat degradation.

Identification Tips

  • Look for a large, dark curassow in lowland forest beside a major Amazonian river.
  • An adult male is distinctive because of its black plumage, white lower abdomen and undertail, curled crest, and red bulbous bill ornament with hanging wattles.
  • A female lacks the prominent red bill ornaments and shows a more barred crest with reddish-buff lower underparts.
  • Do not confuse the species with other large Crax curassows solely from a brief view of dark plumage. The combination of floodplain habitat, white lower underparts in the male, and the bulbous bill ornament is especially useful for identification.

Conservation Status

The Wattled Curassow is currently assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Its population is considered to be declining, and remaining groups are fragmented across a specialised and vulnerable habitat.

The principal threats are habitat loss and degradation in floodplain forests, forest clearance, changes to riverine landscapes and hunting for meat. Because the species is concentrated near rivers and often occurs in small, isolated populations, it can be especially vulnerable to local hunting pressure. Nest predation has also been documented as a potential additional threat.

Important conservation measures include protecting intact várzea forest and forested river islands, maintaining habitat corridors along rivers, reducing unsustainable hunting, and working with local and Indigenous communities on monitoring and wildlife management. Further research is needed to clarify population size, movements, breeding success and the condition of individual subpopulations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the Wattled Curassow live?

It lives in lowland floodplain and river-edge forests in the western and central Amazon Basin, including parts of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

Is the Wattled Curassow migratory?

No. It is regarded as a resident species, although individuals may make local movements within riverine and floodplain habitats as water levels and food availability change.

What does the Wattled Curassow eat?

Its diet consists mainly of fruits and seeds, with leaves, flowers and some invertebrates also recorded. It may swallow small pebbles while feeding, probably to assist digestion.

How can male and female Wattled Curassows be distinguished?

Adult males are mainly glossy black with white lower underparts and have conspicuous red bill ornaments and wattles. Females lack these prominent ornaments and have a more barred crest with reddish-buff lower plumage.

How many eggs does the Wattled Curassow lay?

Limited field evidence indicates a clutch of two eggs. Nests have been recorded in trees and bromeliads near water, particularly during the dry season.

Why is the Wattled Curassow endangered?

The species is threatened by the loss and fragmentation of seasonally flooded forest, hunting and the isolation of small populations. Its close dependence on river-edge habitat increases its vulnerability to local disturbances.

References

Views: 486

Related posts

Scroll to Top