• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Alagoas Curassow - BirdForum Opus

Skullwild.png The species Alagoas Curassow is extinct in the wild.
Skullwild.png


Painting by Jose Merizio Jr
Mitu mitu

Identification

89 cm

  • Black glossed purplish blue plumage
  • Chestnut under-belly
  • Fourteen pale brown-tipped tail feathers
  • Bare greyish crescent-shaped ear patch
  • Whitish-tipped red bill
  • Reddish brown iris

The female is slightly lighter than the male

Distribution

Formerly resident in forests in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, particularly around the Murici area. With most of the forest removed for the cultivation of sugarcane, the bird was thought to be extinct. A survey found a small number of birds (5) and captured them for a zoo in Rio de Janeiro. With the continued destruction of the bird's habitat and the hunting pressure on cracids throughout Latin America, it seems unlikely that any wild birds survive.

The species is now believed to be extinct in the wild. The individuals surviving were at one time crossbreed with Razor-billed Curassow, and as such, it is unknown if any pure individuals still exist.

Former Range
Graphic by Nrg800

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Forest.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes fruits.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
  2. Wikipedia
  3. Wanjtal et al. 2010. Ornitologia Neotropical 21(1):31-38

Recommended Citation

External Links

Back
Top