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36”(91cm); 4kg. Very large and robust, with long tail and prominent crest of erectile, forward-curled feathers. Adult: Male, glossy black with white belly; yellow cere surmounted by bulbous knob. Bill dusky with pale tip, legs grays. Female, variable; head and crest barred with black and sometimes white; tail more or less barred. Cere grayish without knob, bill yellowish. Immature, lacks knob on cere; crest short, like darkest females in pattern but darker, more blackish overall. HABITS
Prefers forested country, where it walks over ground picking up fallen fruits, sometimes scratching for these or small animals; roosts in tree and sometimes flies to a low branch in alarm, though usually prefers to escape by running; hops up from branch to branch to take flight, a few flaps and a long glide; singly, in pairs, or in groups of up to 6. STATUS
Resident; formerly throughout lowlands of both slopes, locally to ca. 4000ft (1200); now mostly scarce and local , good populations persisting mainly in some national parks ( e.g., Corvado, Santa Rosa, Rincon de la Vieja) RANGE
S Mexico to W Ecuador. |
