Conserving Cracids: The most Threatened Family of Birds in the Americas Edited by Daniel M. Brooks Miscellaneous Publications of The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Number 6 Conserving Cracids: The most Threatened Family of Birds in the Americas Edited by Daniel M. Brooks Miscellaneous Publications of The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Number 6 1 ISBN 0-9668278-2-1 Copyright © 2006 Main entry under title: Conserving Cracids Includes some text in Spanish and Portuguese. Original chapters on biology and conservation of the most Endangered family of birds in the New World. ISBN 0-9668278-2-1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or tranmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Printed in the USA Cover artwork of Alagoas Curassow (Mitu mitu) by Jose Merizio Published in the USA by the Houston Museum of Natural Science - 1 Hermann Circle Dr., Houston, Texas 77030-1799, USA [email protected] Contributions and views published do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editors or their affiliated institutions, the Houston Museum of Natural Science or the Cracid Specialist Group. Suggested citation for authored accounts: Authors(s). 2006. Name of Account. Pp. XXX-XXX In: Conserving Cracids: the most Threatened Family of Birds in the Americas (D.M. Brooks, Ed.). Misc. Publ. Houston Mus. Nat. Sci., No. 6, Houston, TX. 2 Table of Contents 6 - Dedication 6 - Acknowledgments 7 - Preface Russell Mittermeier 8 - Foreword Stuart D. Strahl 9 - Chapter 1: Biology and Conservation of Cracids Daniel M. Brooks and Richard A. Fuller 9 - Introduction 11 - The Natural History of Cracids 13 - Why are Cracids Important? 14 - Threats to the Survival of Cracids 15 - Conservation Actions for Cracids 22 - Chapter 2: Methods - Daniel M. Brooks and Stuart D. Strahl 25 - Chapter 3: Extinct in the Wild and Critically Endangered 26 - Alagoas Curassow (Mitu mitu) Carlos A. Bianchi 29 - White-winged Guan (Penelope albipennis) Fernando Angulo Pratolongo, Víctor Raúl Díaz, Rob Williams and Laura Cancino 32 - Trinidad Piping-Guan (Aburria pipile) Floyd E. Hayes 35 - Horned Guan (Oreophasis derbianus) Fernando González-García, Javier Antípatro Rivas Romero and Ana José Cóbar Carranza 41 - Blue-billed Curassow (Crax alberti) Luis Eduardo Urueña, Alonso Quevedo Gil, Paul Salaman, Hernán Darío Arias and Eliana Marcela Machado 44 - Chapter 4: Endangered Cracids 45 - Baudó Guan (Penelope ortoni) Carlos Julián Idrobo-M., Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao and Olaf Jahn 49 - Cauca Guan (Penelope perspicax) Marcia C. Muñoz, Margarita M. Rios and Gustavo A. Londoño 52 - Black-fronted Piping-guan (Aburria jacutinga) Christine Steiner São Bernardo and Rob P. Clay 56 - Helmeted Curassow (Pauxi pauxi) Adrián Naveda-Rodríguez and Stuart D. Strahl 59 - Horned Curassow (Pauxi unicornis) Ross MacLeod, Rodrigo Soria and Melvin Gastañaga 63 - Red-billed Curassow (Crax blumenbachii) Carlos A. Bianchi 66 - Wattled Curassow (Crax globulosa) Hugo Aranibar-Rojas 3 69 - Chapter 5: Vulnerable Cracids 70 - Rufous-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis erythroptera) Javier Barrio and Víctor Raúl Díaz 72 - Bearded Guan (Penelope barbata) Fernando Angulo Pratolongo and Rob Williams 75 - Chestnut-bellied Guan (Penelope ochrogaster) Paulo de Tarso Zuquim Antas 79 - White-browed Guan (Penelope jacucaca) Andrei L. Roos and Paulo de Tarso Zuquim Antas 82 - Black Guan (Chamaepetes unicolor) Gilles Seutin 85 - Highland Guan (Penelopina nigra) Knut Eisermann, Néstor Herrera and Oliver Komar 91 - Yellow-knobbed Curassow (Crax daubentoni) Richard Buchholz and Carolina Bertsch 95 - Chapter 6: Near-threatened Cracids 96 - Buff-browed Chachalaca (Ortalis superciliaris) David C. Oren 98 - White-crested Guan (Penelope pileata) David C. Oren 100 - Wattled Guan (Aburria aburri) Margarita M. Rios, Marcia C. Muñoz and Gustavo A. Londoño 104 - Great Curassow (Crax rubra) Margarita M. Rios and Marcia C. Muñoz 109 - Bare-faced Currasow (Crax fasciolata) Rob P. Clay and David C. Oren 112 - Chapter 7: Country Assessments 114 - Northern Central America: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua Fernando González-G., Javier A. Rivas Romero, Ana José Cóbar Carranza, Knut Eisermann, Néstor Herrera, Oliver Komar, Margarita M. Rios, Marcia C. Muñoz and Daniel M. Brooks 117 - Southern Central America: Costa Rica and Panama Fernando González-G., Gilles Seutin, Margarita Rios, Marcia Muñoz and Daniel Brooks 119 - Northern South America: Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad Carolina Bertsch, Ivan Jimenez, Floyd E. Hayes, Luis Eduardo Urueña, Alonso Quevedo G., Paul Salaman, Hernán D. Arias, Eliana Marcela Machado, Carlos Julián Idrobo-M., Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao, Olaf Jahn, Richard Buchholz, Marcia C. Muñoz, Margarita M. Rios, Gustavo Londoño, Adrián Naveda-R., Stuart Strahl, Hugo Aranibar-R. and Daniel Brooks 123 - Western South America: Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia Fernando Angulo Pratolongo, Ross MacLeod, Olaf Jahn, Carlos Julián Idrobo-Medina, Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao, Víctor Raúl Díaz, Rob Williams, Laura Cancino, Rodrigo Soria, Melvin Gastañaga, Margarita M. Rios, Marcia C. Muñoz, Gustavo A. Londoño, Hugo Aranibar-Rojas, Javier Barrio, Rob P. Clay, David C. Oren and Daniel M. Brooks 126 - Brazil Sergio Luiz Pereira, Carlos A. Bianchi, Christine Steiner São Bernardo, Rob Clay, Paulo de Tarso Z. Antas, Andrei L. Roos, David C. Oren and Daniel Brooks 130 - Central South America: Paraguay and Argentina 4 Rob P. Clay, Silvina Malzof, Ruben Quintana, Christine Steiner São Bernardo, David C. Oren and Daniel M. Brooks 132 - Chapter 8: Ecoregional Analysis Daniel M. Brooks 134 - Appendix 1: Taxonomic Reference List Stuart D. Strahl and Angela Schmitz, with comments by Sergio L. Pereira 139 - Appendix 2: Authors and CSG Officers 142 - References 5 Dedication This book is dedicated to the memory of the late Dean Amadon – conservation scout, taxonomist, and legendary Ornithologist, Dean will always be an inspiration to budding young scientists for many years to come. This book is also dedicated to Cracidologists who have devoted their lives to studying these fascinating birds. By devoted, they are indeed no less than that - they may risk their lives working in dangerous regions and less than comfortable conditions to satiate their quest to learn all they can about these rare birds. It goes without saying that books such as this would not exist were it not for the countless hours these disciplined students of Ornithology have dedicated to direct study of these life forms they are so passionate to conserve. Acknowledgments Thanks to the following individuals for providing helpful comments on species threat criteria: Fernando Angulo P., David Ascanio, Alfredo Begazo, Sara Bennett, Juan David, Víctor Raúl Díaz-M., Thomas Donegan, Jack Eitniear, Jacques Erard, Jon Fjeldså, Mauro Galetti, Fernando González-G., Carlos Otávio A. Gussoni, Bennett Hennessey, Nigel Hughes, Olaf Jahn, Oliver Komar, Miguel Lentino, Gustavo Londoño, Ross Macleod, Adrián Naveda-R., Gustavo Alarcón Nieto, Jose Manuel Ochoa, Fabio Olmos, Mark Pearman, Luis Miguel Renjifo, Robin Restall, Nicolás Rey, Robert Ridgely, Margarita Rios, Javier Rivas, Paul Salaman, Stuart Strahl, Tom Stuart and Rob Wallace. Also, kind thanks to the following individuals for reviewing and/or providing helpful comments and edits: Fernando Angulo, Paulo Antas, Hugo Aranibar, Hernán Arias, Rodrigo Soria Auza, Javier Barrio, Carolina Bertsch, Carlos Bianchi, Richard Buchholz , Stuart Butchart, Laura Cancino, Rob Clay, Ana José Cóbar, Juan Cornejo, Guy Cox, Víctor Raúl Díaz, Knut Eisermann, Raúl Fournier, Juan Freile, Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao, Melvin Gastañaga, Fernando Gonzalez-Garcia, Floyd Hayes, Néstor Herrera, Julián Idrobo, Olaf Jahn, Ivan Jimenez, Oliver Komar, Gustavo Londoño, Nancy López de Kochalka, Ross Macleod, Eliana Marcela Machado, Silvina Malzof, Miguel Angel Martinez Morales, Marcia Muñoz, Adrián Naveda, David Oren, Sergio Pereira, Alonso Quevedo, Ruben Quintana, Margarita Rios, Javier Rivas, Andrei Langeloh Roos, Paul Salaman, Geer Scheres, Gilles Seutin, Rodrigo Soria, Christine Steiner, Stuart Strahl, Luis Eduardo Urueña and Rob Williams. Finally, the following individuals were kind enough to provide artwork or photographs for the book. Artwork was provided by: Sara Bennett, Andres Gallo, Waldo Huaman, Jose Merizio, Ed Rooks and H. Vercauteren. Photos were provided by: Fernando Angulo P., Javier Barrio, Christine Steiner São Bernardo, Carolina Bertsch, Brett Cole, Juan Cornejo, Fernando González-García, Melvin Gastañaga, Arthur Grosset, Dolores Ibarguren, Julián Idrobo, Olaf Jahn, J. Kormendy, Gustavo Londoño, Barry MacKay, Marcia Muñoz, Heinz Plenge, F. Poletto, Proaves-Colombia, Javier Rivas, David Sarkozi, Denise Torres and Emilio White. 6 Preface A couple of decades back, when I was primarily a field scientist, I went to visit a colleague in Venezuela. This person was Stuart Strahl. We were both at similar stages in our careers and personal lives, and at the time both heavily vested in field research and conservation of Neotropical vertebrates: Strahl in birds, and myself in primates. During this visit Stuart had become interested in a very little-known group of birds that sounded like a type of Mexican dance or drug addict; this was the avian family known as the Cracids. Stuart was quite excited about studying and conserving these birds, and little did I realize at the time what Strahl