Great curassow  (Crax rubra)

Description

The great curassow is a magnificent bird, so named for its conspicuous size of almost a metre tall (2). The striking species is instantly recognisable by the tousled crest of forward-curling feathers that adorn the length of its crown, and its vivid yellow bill with a bulbous yellow knob at the base that swells and brightens at the height of the breeding season (4) (5) (6). The plumage is predominantly black, faintly glossed with a deep lustrous blue or purple glow, while the belly and under-tail coverts are a contrasting snowy white (5) (7). Females vary in colour, ranging from black to chestnut-brown, sometimes with black and white barring on their breast, head, wings, and tail (4) (6), while the belly and vent are white to a tawny-buff (5) (8). Females can also be distinguished from males by their conspicuous lack of the distinctive yellow bill-knob (9).

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