Bird Album
Helmeted Curassow
Pauxi pauxi (Linnaeus, 1766)
80–100 cmLength3.1 kgWeight
The helmeted curassow (Pauxi pauxi) or northern helmeted curassow, is a large terrestrial bird in the family Cracidae found in the subtropical cloud-forest in steep, mountainous regions of western Venezuela and northern Colombia.
Busiest months: February · Most records: Venezuela
Where and when it's recorded
Helmeted Curassow has been recorded at 3 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- PN Henri Pittier – Estacion Rancho GrandeVenezuela41 records
- PN YacambúVenezuela30 records
- RF de Palmichal – Santuario de Flora y Fauna BugparadiseVenezuela1 record
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 helmeted curassow (Pauxi pauxi) or northern helmeted curassow, is a large terrestrial bird in the family Cracidae found in the subtropical cloud-forest in steep, mountainous regions of western Venezuela and northern Colombia. There are two subspecies found in different mountain ranges. It is a mostly black bird with a white tip to its tail, a red bill and a distinctive grey casque on its forehead.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Helmeted Curassow?
The Helmeted Curassow is about 80–100 cm long and weighs around 3.1 kg.
Where does the Helmeted Curassow live?
Its breeding range: South America: Venezuela and Colombia. It is most often recorded in Venezuela.
When is the best time to see the Helmeted Curassow?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Helmeted Curassow endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Helmeted Curassow as Vulnerable.
What does the Helmeted Curassow eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Helmeted Curassow in?
It belongs to the family Chachalacas, Curassows, Guans (Cracidae), order Galliformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 80–100 cm
- Weight
- 3.1 kg
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Vulnerable
More measurements
- Wing
- 380 mm
- Tail
- 318 mm
- Bill
- 64 mm
- Tarsus
- 104 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
South America: Venezuela and Colombia
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Chachalacas, Curassows, Guans Cracidae
- Genus
- Pauxi
Other birds in the genus Pauxi
Horned CurassowPauxi unicornis
Sira CurassowPauxi koepckeae
Plain ChachalacaOrtalis vetula
Grey-headed ChachalacaOrtalis cinereiceps
Chestnut-winged ChachalacaOrtalis garrula
Rufous-vented ChachalacaOrtalis ruficauda
Rufous-headed ChachalacaOrtalis erythroptera
Rufous-bellied ChachalacaOrtalis wagleri
West Mexican ChachalacaOrtalis poliocephala
Chaco ChachalacaOrtalis canicollis
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by andresrfb. ↗
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