Crestless curassow
{{short description|Species of bird}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2021}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Crestless curassow
| image = Mitu tomentosum.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Mitu
| species = tomentosum
| authority = (Spix, 1825)
| synonyms = Crax tomentosa (Spix, 1825)
Mitu tomentosa
|synonyms_ref = {{avibase|5C20314DD579BB92|Mitu tomentosum}}
| range_map = Mitu tomentosum map.svg
}}
The crestless curassow (Mitu tomentosum) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/ |title=IOC World Bird List (v 11.2) |last1=Gill |first1= F. |last2=Donsker|first2=D.|last3=Rasmussen |first3=P. |date=July 2021 |access-date=July 14, 2021 }}Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved August 24, 2021
Taxonomy and systematics
The crestless curassow was originally described in genus Crax but genetic data confirm that Mitu is a valid genus.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021 The crestless curassow is monotypic.
Description
The crestless curassow is {{convert|75|to|85|cm|ft|1|abbr=on}} long. Males weigh {{convert|2300|to|3050|g|lb|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} and females {{convert|1300|to|2425|g|lb|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}. It is mostly black with a dark blue to purplish gloss. Its belly and the tip of its tail are rich chestnut. Unlike most other curassows, it has no crest and no swelling on its red bill.del Hoyo, J. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Crestless Curassow (Mitu tomentosum), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.crecur2.01 retrieved October 1, 2021
Distribution and habitat
The crestless curassow is found in eastern Colombia, southern Venezuela, northwestern Brazil, and southwestern Guyana. It mostly inhabits rainforest along rivers, though it is also found in gallery forest in the llanos of Colombia and Venezuela. It tends to favor areas with thick undergrowth. It is a bird of lowlands; in Colombia it occurs up to {{convert|500|m|ft|abbr=on}} and in Venezuela up to {{convert|600|m|ft|abbr=on}}.
Behavior
=Feeding=
=Breeding=
=Vocalization=
Status
The IUCN originally assessed the crestless curassow as being of Least Concern but in 2012 reclassified it as Near Threatened. Its population is not known but is projected to decrease due to habitat fragmentation and hunting.