Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
medium |
| Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but this species is described as 'fairly common' (Stotz et al. 1996). In east Colombia it is locally abundant along the east Andes and Macarena Mountains, where it has been considered the most common large bird at an estimated density of 80 per km2 of forest. In Cerro de la Neblina, east Venezuela, it was considered much less common than another cracid, Razor-billed Curassow Mitu tuberosum, in 1991. In Guyana, it is common only where there is intact habitat and no hunting. In Suriname it was considered common in 1968, and it remains common in primary forest in the south (del Hoyo et al. 1994; Restall et al. 2006; O. Ottema in litt. 2020). Surveys across French Guiana in 2000-2013 found population densities of 0.64 (90% C. I. 0.43 - 1.06) individuals per km2 in hunted sites, and 2.96 (90% C. I. 1.99 - 4.26) individuals per km2 in unhunted sites (Denis et al. 2016). Further analysis estimated a mean population density of 2.68 (90% C. I. 1.52–7.43) individuals per km2 at undisturbed sites (Denis et al. 2018). In Brazil, it is fairly common in Amapá, northern Roraima, around Manaus and in Pico de Neblina National Park (del Hoyo et al. 1994). Surveys in the Jari region in northeast Brazil detected an average of 0.22 individuals per 10 km of transect in primary forest, and 0.73 individuals per 10 km in secondary forest (Parry et al. 2007).
Trend justification: Remote-sensing data on loss of tree cover with at least 30% canopy cover from the species's range indicate that approximately 3% was lost from 2000 - 2020 (Global Forest Watch 2021). Extrapolating over 26 years, an estimated 4% was lost over the past three generations. Extrapolating forwards the 2016-2020 rate of tree cover loss, an estimated 7% of tree cover may be lost from the species's range over the next three generations.
This species appears to be tolerant of secondary forest, at least in parts of its range, so its population size may not be declining in line with the rate of forest loss. However, there may be an additional impact of disturbance. The species is heavily targeted by hunters across much of its range, which may be causing additional population declines in at least some parts of its range. Surveys across French Guiana in 2000-2013 found population densities of 0.64 (90% C. I. 0.43 - 1.06) individuals per km2 in hunted sites, and 2.96 (90% C. I. 1.99 - 4.26) individuals per km2 in unhunted sites (Denis et al. 2016), representing a 78% reduction in abundance in hunted sites. Hunting has been found to have strongly depleted the population abundance of curassow species at some locations in the Amazon basin (Peres and Palacios 2007). This species has always been hunted and there is no evidence that the level of hunting is substantially increasing, although deforestation may lead to an increase in hunting as remaining forests become more accessible to hunters.
Assuming that the population size declines in proportion to tree cover loss, that hunting may cause an equivalent population decline, and that disturbance may contribute an additional 50% of the decline caused by deforestation, the species's suspected population reduction over the past three generations is placed in the band 1-9%, and the suspected population reduction over the next threegenerations is placed in the band 1-19%.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Black Curassow Crax alector. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/black-curassow-crax-alector on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.
