What is a Cracid? Mouse Over Image for Larger View Unlock Popup Blockers

Cracids are a family of gamebirds, found predominantly throughout the Latin American tropics. The northern-most species, the Plain Chachalaca, gets into extreme south Texas, and the southern-most species, the Dusky-legged Guan, ranges as far south as the Plate River Basin in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.

They range in size from a small pheasant to a turkey. Their larger size compared to most species of birds makes them an ideal protein source for people living in the same region. However, unfortunately, they are severely over-hunted in most regions, and consequently their populations are plummeting rapidly throughout their range. The other factor that threatens Cracids is depletion of their natural forest habitat. Although some species such as Chachalacas can tolerate moderate forest alteration, most species disappear when their natural habitat is destroyed.

There are 50 species, about half of which are considered Threatened or Endangered. The three broad groups of Cracids are: Chachalacas, Guans and Curassows. Chachalacas are the smallest members of the family, and there are a dozen species. Guans are the medium-sized members of the family, and the most diverse, with 24 species. There are 15 species of True Guans (Penelope), 5 Piping Guans (Aburria), 2 Sickle-winged Guans (Chamaepetes), and the monotypic Horned Guan (Oreophasis) and Highland Guan (Penelopina). Curassows are the largest members of the family, with 14 species: 7 True Curassows (Crax), 4 Razor-billed Curassows (Mitu), 2 Helmeted Curassows (Pauxi) and the monotypic Nocturnal Curassow (Nothocrax).

. Mouse Over Image for Larger View Unlock Popup Blockers Mouse Over Image for Larger View Unlock Popup Blockers

Previous Page ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooNext Page