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Great Curassow Crax rubra
IUCN Red List Criteria
| Critically Endangered | |
| Endangered | |
| Vulnerable | A2cd+3cd+4cd |
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Vulnerable |
| 2009 | Vulnerable |
| 2008 | Near Threatened |
| 2004 | Near Threatened |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | not a migrant | Forest dependency | High |
| Land mass type | continent |
Average mass | 4133 g |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 662,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | 6700-40000 | medium | Estimated | 2008 |
| Population trend | Decreasing | poor | - | |
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 11.5 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: The total population is estimated to number 10,000-60,000 individuals, roughly equivalent to 6,700-40,000 mature individuals (O. Jahn in litt. 2009). | ||||
| Trend justification: This species is suspected have undergone rapid declines during the past three generations (34 years) owing to hunting pressure and habitat loss and fragmentation, and these declines are predicted to continue. | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belize | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Colombia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Costa Rica | Native | No | |||
| Ecuador | Native | No | Yes | ||
| El Salvador | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Guatemala | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Honduras | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mexico | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Nicaragua | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Panama | Native | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Belize | Crooked Tree and associated wetlands |  |
| Belize | Maya Mountains and southern reserves | |
| Belize | Rio Bravo CMA Gallon Jug Estate | |
| Colombia | Paramillo Natural National Park (Parque Nacional Natural Paramillo IBA) | |
| Colombia | Parque Nacional Natural Ensenada de Utría | |
| Colombia | Parque Nacional Natural Los Katíos | |
| Costa Rica | Arenal-Monteverde | |
| Costa Rica | Cahuita, Gandoca-Manzanillo and Migratory Bird Corridor | |
| Costa Rica | Caribbean lowlands and wetlands | |
| Costa Rica | Central Volcanic Cordillera | |
| Costa Rica | Fila Costeña | |
| Costa Rica | Guanacaste lowlands | |
| Costa Rica | La Amistad Caribe | |
| Costa Rica | Los Santos, La Amistad Pacífico | |
| Costa Rica | Maleku-Caño Negro | |
| Costa Rica | Nicoya Peninsula | |
| Costa Rica | Pacuare, coastal wetlands and Migratory Bird Corridor | |
| Costa Rica | Palo Verde Wetlands | |
| Costa Rica | Sierpe Wetlands and Osa Peninsula | |
| Costa Rica | Tárcoles, Carara and La Cangreja | |
| Costa Rica | Tilarán Highlands | |
| Ecuador | Cayapas-Santiago-Wimbí | |
| Ecuador | Verde-Ónzole-Cayapas-Canandé | |
| El Salvador | El Imposible Forest | |
| Honduras | Cerro Azul Meambar | |
| Honduras | Jeanette Kawas | |
| Honduras | La Muralla | |
| Honduras | Parque Nacional Patuca | |
| Honduras | Pico Bonito | |
| Honduras | Río Plátano | |
| Honduras | Sierra de Agalta | |
| Honduras | Tawahka | |
| Nicaragua | Apante Hill | |
| Nicaragua | Arenal Hill | |
| Nicaragua | Bluefields Bay and adjacent landscape | |
| Nicaragua | Bosawas | |
| Nicaragua | Chocoyero - El Brujo - Montibelli and adjacent landscape | |
| Nicaragua | Cosiguina Volcano | |
| Nicaragua | El Jaguar | |
| Nicaragua | Escalante River-Chococente-Tecomapa | |
| Nicaragua | Indio Maíz | |
| Nicaragua | Los Guatuzos | |
| Nicaragua | Miskito Keys and terrestrial landscape | |
| Nicaragua | Mombacho Volcano | |
| Nicaragua | Musun Hill | |
| Nicaragua | Peñas Blancas Massif | |
| Nicaragua | Prinzapolka/Alamikamba Rivers | |
| Nicaragua | Punta Gorda | |
| Nicaragua | Quirragua Mountains and adjacent landscape | |
| Nicaragua | San Juan River - La Inmaculada Concepcion de Maria | |
| Nicaragua | Silva Hill | |
| Nicaragua | Wawashan | |
| Panama | Bahía Honda | |
| Panama | Chagres National Park | |
| Panama | Damani Wetlands | |
| Panama | Darien-Cerro Sapo National Park (Darién National Park IBA) | |
| Panama | El Chorogo-Palo Blanco | |
| Panama | Fortuna Forest Reserve | |
| Panama | Golfo de los Mosquitos Forests | |
| Panama | La Amistad International Park (part of La Amistad and Surrounding Areas AZE) | |
| Panama | Majé Hydrological Reserve | |
| Panama | Narganá Wildlands Area | |
| Panama | Palo Seco Protection Forest | |
| Panama | Portobelo National Park | |
| Panama | Punta Patiño Nature Reserve and Wetlands | |
| Panama | San Lorenzo National Park | |
| Panama | Serranía de Majé | |
| Panama | Soberanía National Park | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | marginal | resident | |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Plantations | marginal | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | marginal | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland | major | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane | marginal | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 1900 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & Aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops / Agro-industry farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Decline | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources / Unintentional effects: (large scale) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Decline | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals / Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Decline | Medium Impact: | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression / Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Past, Unlikely to Return | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Past Impact | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Crax rubra. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Vulnerable |
| Family | Cracidae (Guans and curassows) |
| Species name author | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Population size | 6700-40000 mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 662,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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