FAMILY CRACIDAE 293 



Order GALLIFORMES 

 Family CRACIDAE, Curassows and Guans ; Pavones y Faisanas 



These are birds of the warmer climatic areas of the Western 

 Hemisphere, found mainly in the tropical zone, but there are a few 

 kinds of limited distribution that are adapted to life in colder sub- 

 tropical and even temperate zone areas. All have a fowl-like form, 

 with heavy body, small head, long neck, and rounded wings, and in 

 most the tail is elongated. While they live in part on the ground, 

 they are mainly arboreal, with a foot adapted for perching, since the 

 somewhat elongated hind toe is on the level of the three in front. 

 The nearly 50 species now recognized are divided among 11 genera, 

 of which 4, each with a single species, are found in Panama. All 

 are held in high regard as food and game birds. 



One member of the genus Ortalis ranges north to southern Texas, 

 while to the south several are found as far as the northern prov- 

 inces of Argentina. Fossil species of Tertiary age are known 

 from the north-central United States in Nebraska and South Dakota 

 and also from Florida. The greatest variety among living species is 

 found in northern South America. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF CRACIDAE 



1. A prominent crest, in which the ends of the feathers curl forward; 



size large Central American curassow, Crax rubra, p. 293 



Crest short, with feathers straight ; size smaller 2 



2. Breast prominently streaked with white. 



Crested guan, Penelope purpurascens, p. 298 

 Breast without prominent streaks 3 



3. Color, including wings, mainly black. 



Black guan, Chamaepetes unicolor, p. 303 

 Color brown and gray ; primaries chestnut. 



Gray-headed chachalaca, Ortalis cinereiceps, p. 305 



CRAX RUBRA RUBRA Linnaeus: Central American Curassow; Pavon 



Figure 50 

 Crax rubra Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 157. (Western Ecuador.) 



Size of a turkey, with heavy body, and long narrow crest in which 

 the feathers are recurved at the tip; male, body black; female body 

 cinnamon-brown. 



Description. — Length, male 870 to 920 mm ; female 780 to 840 mm. 

 Male, black, with a very faint greenish sheen, except on abdomen, 

 flanks, and under tail coverts, which are white; tail in some tipped 

 narrowly with white, in others plain. 



