Curassows
The Curassows are very large and rather heavy birds and some of them are
larger than our turkey. They have short wings and a strong bill. At the
base of the upper mandible and on the upper side there is a large
tubercle-like excrescence which is of a yellow color and quite hard.
Upon the head there is a gracefully arched crest of feathers which is
made of curled feathers, the tips of which are white in some of the
species. This crest can be lowered or raised at the will of the bird.
The plumage of the species illustrated is a beautiful and velvety black,
except the white on the lower portion of the body. It is said that
their motions are much more graceful than are those of our common
domestic turkey. "They live in small flocks, and are arboreal in their
habits, only occasionally descending to the ground, while roosting and
building their nests on the branches of trees." The nests are large and
made of twigs and willowy branches held in place by the stems of
grasses, which are neatly interwoven between them. The nest is lined
with down, feathers and leaves.
» Fast Facts: While this bird spends a lot of its time on the ground, it will fly up into the trees for safety when it feels threatened.
» Description: Large black body, small head, orange beak, blue "ball" on forehead, two white spots on body near tail, short legs, to 38".
» Habitat: Central and South America in dense tropical rainforests.
» Diet Fruits, leaves, seeds, small animals.
» Information: Female only lays two eggs per clutch and both male and female construct a nest out of twigs and vegetation up in the trees
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