Blue-billed curassow

The blue-billed curassow is monotypic. ==Description==

The blue-billed curassow is long and weighs . It is the only curassow with a blue cere and wattle, the latter found only on the male. Males are mostly black with a white vent and tail tip. Females are also mostly black but their lower belly and vent are rufous. They have fine white barring on the wings and tail, and a rare "barred" morph also has barring on the breast and belly. Both sexes have an erectile crest, the male's black and the female's black and white. ==Distribution and habitat==

The blue-billed curassow is found only in northern Colombia. Its range used to stretch 106,700-square-kilometers; it now has a highly fragmented range, with small populations between La Guajira and Magdalena Departments south to Antioquia and Boyacá Departments with 2,090-square-kilometers. It inhabits undisturbed forest in the tropical and upper tropical zones, mostly from near sea level to but at least formerly as high as . ==Behavior==

Feeding The blue-billed curassow mainly feeds on the ground. Its diet has not been extensively studied but it is known to include fruits, worms, and insects. It also takes in sand and small stones as digestive aids. The blue-billed curassow's breeding season spans from mid-December to early March. It is reported to be monogamous. It builds a large nest of sticks and dead leaves and conceals it in dense vine tangles. It typically places it between the understory and the subcanopy. The clutch size is two to three eggs. Eggs are incubated for 32 days before hatching full-feathered. Vocalization Male blue-billed curassows "boom" from the ground, "a 4–5-syllable series of deep notes...repeated over and over, 'hmm...hmh...hmm...hmm...hmh. Both sexes give an alarm call, a "soft, high-pitched whistle 'peh-weeeéoh' or 'pehoo. ==Status==

The IUCN has assessed the blue-billed curassow as Critically Endangered. Its population is estimated to be between 1,250 – 3,100 mature individuals and its population is fragmented and decreasing. Deforestation and hunting are the major threats. Captive breeding has been successful. Studied populations are not estimated to survive another 100 years as hunting has the greatest impact on the expected extinction date. Without intervention, populations of blue-billed curassows are not viable for a 100-year period. The most immediate conservation strategies recommended are to eliminate or significantly reduce hunting. Agreements have already been signed with property owners in San Bartolo, La Ganadera, and Rancho Verde ranches to guarantee forest protection and no hunting within their boundaries. This method, combined with captive-bred individuals will help population viability. ==References==