Red-billed Curassow vs Band-tailed Guan
Crax blumenbachii compared with Penelope argyrotis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Red-billed Curassow | Band-tailed Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Crax blumenbachii | Penelope argyrotis |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Endangered | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 76.8 cm (30.2 in) | 52.8 cm (20.8 in) |
| Weight | 3250.0 g (114.64 oz) | 798.0 g (28.15 oz) |
| Diet | Eats large fruits, seeds, and invertebrates on Atlantic forest floor in Brazil. Critically endangered; diet … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, leaves, flowers, and buds in Andean forests of Venezuela and Colombia. … |
| Clutch Size | 1-3 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Red-billed Curassow
Emits a deep, resonant booming call; contact calls are loud, guttural clucking. Endangered; the powerful boom echoes through remnant Atlantic forest; increasingly scarce.
Band-tailed Guan
Produces a loud, honking cackle and resonant wing-whirring in display flights. The deep, carrying honk and wing-whirr display is characteristic of this Andean Penelope guan.
Geographic Range & Migration
Red-billed Curassow
Endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. Found in lowland humid forest. Critically endangered.
Band-tailed Guan
Resident in the Andes and mountains of Colombia and Venezuela from 1,000-2,400 m. Found in humid montane forest.
Conservation Status
Red-billed Curassow
Band-tailed Guan
How to Tell Them Apart
Red-billed Curassow
Male is glossy black with white lower belly; curly black crest; vivid red bill with no knob; no yellow facial skin. Female is black barred chestnut; bright red bill is …
Band-tailed Guan
Brownish-black above with fine white streaking on neck and chest; bare red facial skin; lower underparts chestnut; tail broad with distinctive pale grey subterminal band.
About These Birds
Red-billed Curassow
A large cracid (~3.3 kg) of family Cracidae, males black with a red and yellow bill. Endemic to a small area of Atlantic Forest in Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, Brazil. Inhabits humid lowland and foothill rainforest. Forages on the forest floor for fallen fruits and seeds. Endangered; fewer than 250 mature individuals remain following severe Atlantic Forest loss and overhunting.
Band-tailed Guan
A medium-sized cracid (~800 g) of family Cracidae, with a distinctive pale-tipped tail band. Inhabits montane humid forests in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Andes of Colombia and Venezuela. Arboreal, feeding on fruits, seeds, and buds in the canopy. Least Concern; restricted to Andean cloud forest but common within its range and tolerates some forest disturbance.