Bird Album
Black Curassow
Crax alector Linnaeus, 1766
2.9 kgWeight
The black curassow (Crax alector), also known as the smooth-billed curassow and the crested curassow, is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows.
Busiest months: January–February · Most records: Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
Where and when it's recorded
Black Curassow has been recorded at 33 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 6 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Atta Lodge / Iwokrama Canopy WalkwayGuyana806 records
- Iwokrama River LodgeGuyana129 records
- Atta Rainforest LodgeGuyana90 records
More places
- Kabalebo Nature ResortSuriname61 records
- Fredberg – Zintete LodgeSuriname52 records
- Brownsberg Nature Park – accommodations and nearby trailsSuriname48 records
- Iwokrama ForestGuyana48 records
- Surama EcoLodgeGuyana44 records
- Surama EcoLodge – Borro Borro TrailGuyana41 records
- RF de Imataca – Campamento Río GrandeVenezuela41 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The black curassow (Crax alector), also known as the smooth-billed curassow and the crested curassow, is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in humid forests in northern South America in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas including Suriname, and far northern Brazil, and is introduced to Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Lesser Antilles.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black Curassow?
The Black Curassow weighs around 2.9 kg.
Where does the Black Curassow live?
Its breeding range: South America: northern Amazonia. It is most often recorded in Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
When is the best time to see the Black Curassow?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and February (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Black Curassow endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black Curassow as Least Concern.
What does the Black Curassow eat?
Main food: Fruit.
What family is the Black Curassow in?
It belongs to the family Chachalacas, Curassows, Guans (Cracidae), order Galliformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 2.9 kg
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Fruit
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 395 mm
- Tail
- 360 mm
- Bill
- 57 mm
- Tarsus
- 114 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
South America: northern Amazonia
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Chachalacas, Curassows, Guans Cracidae
- Genus
- Crax
Other birds in the genus Crax
Great CurassowCrax rubra
Blue-billed CurassowCrax alberti
Yellow-knobbed CurassowCrax daubentoni
Wattled CurassowCrax globulosa
Bare-faced CurassowCrax fasciolata
Red-billed CurassowCrax blumenbachii
Plain ChachalacaOrtalis vetula
Grey-headed ChachalacaOrtalis cinereiceps
Chestnut-winged ChachalacaOrtalis garrula
Rufous-vented ChachalacaOrtalis ruficauda
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Allan Hopkins. ↗
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