Salvin's curassow (''Mitu salvini'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the family

Cracidae The chachalacas, guans, and curassows are birds in the Family (biology), family Cracidae. These are species of tropical and subtropical Central America, Central and South America. The range of one species, the plain chachalaca, just reaches south ...

, the

chachalaca Chachalacas are galliform birds from the genus ''Ortalis''. These birds are found in wooded habitats in the far southern United States (Texas), Mexico, and Central and South America. They are social, can be very noisy and often remain fairly ...

s, guans, and

curassow Curassows are one of the three major groups of cracid birds. They comprise the largest-bodied species of the cracid family. Three of the four genera are restricted to tropical South America; a single species of ''Crax'' ranges north to Mexico. ...

s. It is found in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved 24 August 2021

Taxonomy and systematics

Salvin's curassow for a time was placed in genus ''Crax'' but genetic data confirm that ''Mitu'' is a valid genus.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved 24 August 2021 Salvin's curassow is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

Description

Salvin's curassow is long and weighs about . It is mostly black with little gloss. The belly and the end of the tail feathers are white. It has an erectile crest that is usually carried flat.del Hoyo, J. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Salvin's Curassow (''Mitu salvini''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.salcur1.01 retrieved 1 October 2021

Distribution and habitat

Salvin's curassow is found east of the Andes in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and northern Peru. It inhabits humid '' terra firme'', primarily at the beginning of the wet season (March to April), and '' várzea'' before and after that period. It prefers

primary forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...

. In elevation it ranges as high as about in Ecuador and in Colombia. Historically it had been found up to about .

Behavior

Movement

Salvin's curassow is basically sedentary, though pairs may shift their territories seasonally in response to food availability.

Feeding

Salvin's curassow forages singly, in pairs, or in family groups, mostly on the ground. Its diet is about 70% fruits, 10% seeds, and the other 20% flowers, leaves, invertebrates, and other items. It takes in sand and small stones to aid digestion and has been seen scavenging animal remains.

Breeding

Pairs of Salvin's curassow appear to stay together year round and not be strongly territorial. In Colombia the nesting season is January to May or June. Males build several nests from which the female chooses one. The clutch size is two eggs.

Vocalization

The Salvin Curassow's "booming" song is rendered "mmm mmmMMMM ... BMM’mmmm-mmmm". The male sings mostly at dawn and at night. The female also sings a huskier version. Other vocalizations include a "pieew, pieew" alarm note, a "goorh, goorh" threat response, and a "coh coh" contact call.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

has assessed Salvin's curassow as being of Least Concern. Hunting is the primary threat, and the species is scarce near human settlements though generally common in less accessible areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1259717 Salvin's curassow Salvin's curassow Birds of the Colombian Amazon Birds of the Ecuadorian Amazon Birds of Peruvian Amazonia Salvin's curassow Taxonomy articles created by Polbot