Alagoas Curassow vs Bearded Guan
Mitu mitu compared with Penelope barbata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Alagoas Curassow | Bearded Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Mitu mitu | Penelope barbata |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Extinct in the Wild | Near Threatened |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 79.2 cm (31.2 in) | 48.4 cm (19.1 in) |
| Weight | 2852.5 g (100.62 oz) | 822.8 g (29.02 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, seeds, and invertebrates in the ground and forest understorey. Extinct in wild; … | Eats fruits, berries, seeds, leaves, and flowers in Andean cloud forests of Ecuador and Peru. … |
| Clutch Size | 2-3 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Alagoas Curassow
Extirpated from wild (EW). Calls documented from captive birds: a deep, resonant booming similar to Razor-billed Curassow; flocks give low, guttural clucking contact calls.
Bearded Guan
Emits a loud, deep honking cackle and produces wing-whirring in display. Calls are resonant; the wing-whirr display is loud and penetrating in Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forest.
Geographic Range & Migration
Alagoas Curassow
Endemic to northeastern Brazil in Alagoas. Extinct in the wild; survives only in captivity. Last wild record was 1980s.
Bearded Guan
Resident in the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern Peru at 1,800-3,400 m. Found in humid montane forest.
Conservation Status
Alagoas Curassow
Bearded Guan
How to Tell Them Apart
Alagoas Curassow
Glossy black body; white lower belly and undertail; massive compressed red bill with orange-yellow tip; no head ornamentation. Now extinct in wild; the large red razor bill was its most …
Bearded Guan
Dark olive-brown above; throat with bare red skin and feathered lower edge resembling beard; neck and breast finely streaked white on dark brown; lower belly rufous-chestnut; tail dark brown.
About These Birds
Alagoas Curassow
A large cracid (~2.9 kg) of family Cracidae, with glossy black plumage and a distinctive red knobbed bill. Extinct in the Wild; the last wild individuals disappeared from Alagoas, Brazil by the 1980s due to deforestation of the Atlantic Forest. A captive population survives in Brazilian zoos, with reintroduction programs underway. One of the most critically imperiled birds globally.
Bearded Guan
A medium-sized cracid (~820 g) of family Cracidae, with a small red-wattled throat pouch. Inhabits montane cloud forests in the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern Peru at 1,500–3,000 m elevation. Feeds arboreally on fruits, seeds, and buds. Near Threatened due to ongoing deforestation and hunting; dependent on intact Andean cloud forest which continues to be cleared.