Yellow-knobbed curassow

The yellow-knobbed curassow is a remarkable bird native to the forests and woodlands of Colombia and Venezuela. This sizable bird prefers to forage on the ground but will retreat to the trees if it senses danger. One of its most distinctive features is the crest of forward-curled feathers atop its head, and the male also displays a fleshy yellow knob at the base of its bill. Females lack this knob, but both sexes share the same striking black plumage with a white patch under the tail, known as the crissum.

These birds are quite large, with adults measuring between 84 and 92.5 cm in length and weighing between 2 and 3 kg. Their diet is varied, including fruits, leaves, seeds, and even small animals.

When it comes to nesting, yellow-knobbed curassows exhibit some unique behaviors. Unlike many ground-nesting game birds, they build their nests off the ground, with both the male and female collaborating on the construction. The female typically lays just two eggs, which is fewer than what is found in the nests of many other similar birds.