Alagoas Curassow vs Cauca Guan
Mitu mitu compared with Penelope perspicax
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Alagoas Curassow | Cauca Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Mitu mitu | Penelope perspicax |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Extinct in the Wild | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 79.2 cm (31.2 in) | 65.0 cm (25.6 in) |
| Weight | 2852.5 g (100.62 oz) | 1197.0 g (42.22 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, seeds, and invertebrates in the ground and forest understorey. Extinct in wild; … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, and leaves in Colombian Cauca Valley forests. Critically endangered with very … |
| 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.
Cauca Guan
Produces a loud, honking cackle and powerful wing-whirring display. Critically endangered; calls carry across Colombian Cauca Valley forest fragments; wing-whirr is diagnostic.
Geographic Range & Migration
Alagoas Curassow
Endemic to northeastern Brazil in Alagoas. Extinct in the wild; survives only in captivity. Last wild record was 1980s.
Cauca Guan
Endemic to the Cauca Valley of Colombia. Found in humid forest remnants at 1,000-2,000 m. Critically endangered.
Conservation Status
Alagoas Curassow
Cauca 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 …
Cauca Guan
Dark brownish-black above; neck and breast streaked white; bare red throat skin; lower underparts deep rufous-chestnut; back faintly glossed; tail dark brown. White streaking is bolder than in most Penelope …
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.
Cauca Guan
A medium-large cracid (~1.2 kg) of family Cracidae, with olive-brown plumage and a red throat wattle. Endemic to the upper Cauca Valley of Colombia at 1,200–2,400 m elevation. Inhabits remnant humid Andean forests. Arboreal, feeding on fruits and seeds. Vulnerable due to severe deforestation in one of Colombia's most densely populated valleys and ongoing hunting pressure.