Great Curassow

IUCN

Alias：Great Curassow，Crax rubra

Basic Information

Scientific classification

name：Great Curassow
Aliases：Great Curassow，Crax rubra
Outline：Landfowl
Family：Chickeniformes P.family P.Genus

Vital signs

length：90-100 cm tall
Weight：4.3-4.8kg
lifetime：About 24 years

Feature

It is the northernmost species of Pheasant

Details

The Great Curassow (Crax rubra) has two subspecies. The Great Crested pheasant is mixed with the blue-billed pheasant and the black pheasant.

b413a5f2a378cdf546c35416f0bbb237_ nine ray image converter. JPG

The Great Crested pheasant lives in tropical and subtropical forest areas. In pairs or small groups, mainly active in trees, occasionally below the ground, diurnal. To stay as a bird.

The Great Crested pheasant is an omnivorous bird and, like other crested pheasant birds, spends a great deal of time searching for fruit, berries and seeds that have fallen to the ground, as well as large insects and the occasional small animal encountered in woodland. The diet includes seeds, leaves, fruits, and various insects, and occasionally small vertebrates such as frogs and lizards; Because its feces contain more seeds of various kinds of plants, it is also known as "sowing small skilled hands".

38 b6ac58619cab9f3482a8720437aa91_ nine ray image converter. JPG

The male bird, leading his family, emits a high-pitched whistle-like whine at signs of danger. At other times, groups maintain contact with each other by using low pitched calls. When disturbed, this shy and cautious bird will often trot rather than fly away, and will also tree for protection.

The breeding period of big crested pheasants is from March to May. The nest is built in a tree branch or a hole in the tree, and the adult bird builds a hollow nest with leaves on the branch of the tree. The female bird lays two eggs each time, and the eggs are beautiful blue and green. It can fly in 3-4 days after it comes out of the shell. Sexual maturity at 2-3 years, maximum life expectancy of 24 years.

8583 cd9e1c1f2c082298d41dec5054ba_ nine ray image converter. Jpeg

As the destruction of rainforest resources and illegal poaching are threatening the survival of the Great Crested pheasant, habitat loss and hunting have decimated its population, and it is increasingly dependent on survival in several well-maintained protected areas. Deforestation of moist deciduous tropical forests is a major threat, with severe habitat reduction and fragmentation, human settlements in the forest and poachers all posing threats to the survival of the species. The presence of commercial hunting in some areas is of greater concern because it can quickly lead to the extinction of local species.

The Great crested pheasant has been widely listed under legal protection and appears in many protected areas, where it is still relatively common or has recovered from loss figures. The number has increased gradually since the 1980s, or fluctuated at a low level. They are also threatened by hurricanes.

Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2012 Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1 - Vulnerable (VU).

Listed in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Listed in Appendices I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 edition Appendix III.

Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.

Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!

Location

The Great Crested pheasant is found in parts of Central and South America from Mexico to Ecuador. Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama.
It inhabits moist, undisturbed evergreen broad-leaved forests and mangroves, as well as seasonally dry forests in some lower elevations.

Form

The Great Crested pheasant is a large bird, reaching a height of more than one meter. The male is 93 cm tall and weighs 4.3 to 4.8 kg. It has a striking curly crown, which is highly curled forward during the breeding season, and the feathers are unkempt and towering, which is instantly recognizable.
The male is black or bluish-purple and shiny. The snowy white of the abdomen contrasts sharply with the overlying feathers and tail, and the base of the beak is pale yellow with sarcoma.
The female is brown-red to chestnut brown, with a black and white head and neck. There are yellow nodules on the beak, and the feathers on the crown are curved. The female crested pheasant has three forms: markings on the neck, wings, wings and tail; The whole red form is russet brown, with a striped tail; The neck, wingspan, wings, and tail of the black form are black, with some markings on the wings. In most areas, only one or two forms occur, while some fall somewhere in between.