Crestless Curassow

About the Crestless Curassow

The crestless curassow (Mitu tomentosum) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela. The crestless curassow was originally described in genus Crax but genetic data confirm that Mitu is a valid genus. The crestless curassow is monotypic.

Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial gene sequences indicate that the crestless curassow is sister to the Alagoas curassow, the other Mitu species with brown eumelanin in the tail tip; together, these two species are the sister group to the rest of the Mitu genus.

The crestless curassow is 75 to 85 cm (2.5 to 2.8 ft) long. Males weigh 2,300 to 3,050 g (5.1 to 6.7 lb) and females 1,300 to 2,425 g (2.9 to 5.3 lb). It is mostly black with a dark blue to purplish gloss. Its belly and the tip of its tail are rich chestnut. Unlike most other curassows, it has no crest and no swelling on its red bill.

The crestless curassow is found in eastern Colombia, southern Venezuela, northwestern Brazil, and southwestern Guyana. It mostly inhabits rainforest along rivers, though it is also... Wikipedia →