Alagoas curassow
| Alagoas curassow | |
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| Alagoas curassow | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Cracidae |
| Genus: | Mitu |
| Species: | M. mitu |
| Binomial name | |
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Mitu mitu (Linnaeus, 1766) |
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The Alagoas curassow (Mitu mitu) is a glossy-black, pheasant-like bird. It was formerly found in forests in Northeastern Brazil in what is now the states of Pernambuco and Alagoas, which is the origin of its common name (Harry 2006). It is now extinct in the wild; there are about 130 individuals in captivity.
German naturalist Georg Marcgrave first identified the Alagoas curassow in 1648 in its native range. Subsequently, the origin and legitimacy of the bird began to be questioned due to the lack of specimens. An adult female curassow was rediscovered in 1951, in the coastal forests of Alagoas. The Mitu mitu was then accepted as a separate species (Silveira). At that time fewer than 60 birds were left in the wild, in the forests around São Miguel dos Campos. Several authors in the 1970s brought to light the growing destruction of its habitat and the rarity of the species. Even with these concerns, the last large forest remnants which contained native Mitu mitu were demolished for sugarcane agriculture (Silveira).
The Alagoas curassow measures approximately 83–89 centimetres (33–35 in) in length. Feathers covering its body are black and glossy, with a blue-purple hue (BirdLife International 2013). Specimens of Mitu mitu also has a large, bright red beak, flattened at its sides, with a white tip. The same red coloration on found on its legs and feet. The tips of its tail feathers are light brown in color, with chestnut colored feathers under the tail. It has a unique grey colored, crescent-shaped patch of bare skin covering its ears, a character not found in other curassows (Harry 2006). The distinct coloration separates M.mitu as its own species distinct from other curassow species. Sexual dimorphism is not pronounced: females tend to be lighter in color and slightly smaller in size (Sick 1980). The birds can live to more than twenty four years in captivity (The Website of Everything 2010). Video recording in captivity show that this cracid sporadically makes a high-pitched chirping sound, as seen here.
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Wikipedia