BIRD OF THE WEEK — BLUE-BILLED CURASSOW — PLANET EARTH BIRD WORLD group

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Sierra Club* United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) * American Bird Conservancy

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BIRD OF THE WEEK 

The Blue-billed Curassow is one of the birds closest to extinction in the Americas. It belongs to a group of large, ground-dwelling tropical birds that are closely related to turkeys. Some say the birds are just as tasty as domestic turkeys, and unfortunately, harvesting the birds and eggs for food is an ongoing problem.

Blue-billed Curassow populations have also declined dramatically due to habitat loss. Huge areas of lowland forest in the bird’s former range have been razed for livestock and crops, illegal coca farms, oil extraction, and mining. Although the species has been seen infrequently at other sites in Colombia, the Alliance for Zero Extinction has recognized a small portion of the Magdalena Valley as most critical for the curassow’s survival. This appears to be home to one of the last viable populations for the species.

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