The Alagoas curassow is a glossy-black, pheasant-like bird. It was formerly found in forests in Northeastern Brazil in what is now the states of Pernambuco and Alagoas, which is the origin of its common name. It is now extinct in the wild; there are about 130 individuals in captivity.
Region
Northeastern Brazil, Atlantic Forest
Typical Environment
Historically confined to lowland and submontane Atlantic Forest remnants in Alagoas and adjacent Pernambuco. It favored dense, mature forest with abundant fruiting trees and often foraged along forest floor and understory edges. Riverine and gallery forests were also used, especially during fruiting peaks. Today the species persists only in captivity, with any future wild distribution dependent on habitat restoration and reintroduction sites.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The Alagoas curassow is extinct in the wild, surviving only through a carefully managed captive-breeding program descended from a handful of birds. It once inhabited the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil and played an important role as a seed disperser for large-fruited trees. Reintroduction planning has been discussed but hinges on safeguarding and restoring suitable forest habitat and genetic management of the small population.
Temperament
shy and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides through forest
Social Behavior
Typically seen in pairs or small family groups and believed to be largely monogamous. Nests are placed low to mid-level in dense vegetation; clutches are small, and the female does most incubation while the male guards and escorts. Juveniles follow adults on the ground and learn foraging routes.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Males produce low, resonant booming notes at dawn that carry through the forest. Soft whistles, clucks, and grunts serve as contact and alarm calls within pairs or family groups.
Plumage
Glossy black, smooth-feathered plumage with a bluish sheen and a contrasting white band at the tail tip; crest minimal and not curled.
Diet
Primarily a consumer of large fallen fruits and seeds from canopy trees, swallowing whole fruits and later regurgitating or passing seeds. It supplements with buds, leaves, and occasionally invertebrates. Its frugivory historically made it an important long-distance seed disperser in the Atlantic Forest.
Preferred Environment
Forages on the forest floor and lower understory beneath fruiting trees, often along stream corridors and in mature, undisturbed tracts. It may also use secondary growth edges when fruit is abundant.
