The chachalacas, guans and curassows are
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Cracidae. These are species of tropical and subtropical
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
. The range of one species, the
plain chachalaca, just reaches southernmost parts of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Two species, the
Trinidad piping guan
The Trinidad piping guan (''Pipile pipile'') locally known as the pawi, is a bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow Family (biology), family Cracidae, Endemism, endemic to the island of Trinidad. It is a large bird, somewhat resembling a turk ...
and the
rufous-vented chachalaca
The rufous-vented chachalaca (''Ortalis ruficauda'') is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which are related to the Australasian mound builders. It inhabits northeast Colombia and northern Venezuela where it is called ...
occur on the islands of
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
respectively.
Systematics and evolution
The family Cracidae was introduced (as Craxia) by the French
polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...
in 1815. The Cracidae are an ancient group related to the
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
n
mound-builders
A number of pre-Columbian cultures are collectively termed "Mound Builders". The term does not refer to a specific people or archaeological culture, but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks erected for an extended period of more than 5 ...
. They are sometimes united with these in a distinct
order, "Craciformes", but this is not supported by more recent research which suggests that either is a well-marked,
basal lineage of
Galliformes
Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often ...
.
Phylogeny
Cladogram based on the study by De Chen and collaborators published in 2021. The numbers of species are from the list maintained by
Frank Gill Frank Gill may refer to:
* Frank Gill (Australian footballer) (1908–1970), Australian rules footballer with Carlton
* Frank Gill (footballer, born 1948), footballer for Tranmere Rovers
*Frank Gill (politician) (1917–1982), New Zealand politicia ...
,
Pamela Rasmussen
Pamela Cecile Rasmussen (born October 16, 1959) is an American ornithologist and expert on Asian birds. She was formerly a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and is based at the Michigan State University. Sh ...
and David Donsker on behalf of the
International Ornithologists' Union
The International Ornithologists' Union, formerly known as the International Ornithological Committee, is a group of about 200 international ornithologists, and is responsible for the International Ornithological Congress and other international ...
.
Classification
Extinct species assignment follows the Mikko's Phylogeny Archive
and Paleofile.com websites.
* Genus †''
Procrax''
Tordoff & Macdonald 1957
** †''
Procrax brevipes''
Tordoff & Macdonald 1957
* Genus †''
Paleophasianus''
Wetmore 1940
** †''
Paleophasianus meleagroides''
Wetmore 1940
* Genus †''
Taoperdix''
Milne-Edwards 1869
** †''
Taoperdix pesseiti''
(Gervais 1862) Milne-Edwards 1869
*
Subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Penelopinae
The guans are a number of bird genera which make up the largest group in the family Cracidae. They are found mainly in northern South America, southern Central America, and a few adjacent Caribbean islands. There is also the peculiar horned gua ...
(Guans)
** Genus ''
Aburria''
Reichenbach 1853
*** Subgenus (''Aburria'')
****
Wattled guan
The wattled guan (''Aburria aburri'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is a fairly large black cracid with blue-based, black-tipped beak and a long, red-and-yellow Wattle (anatomy), wattle.
It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, ...
, ''Aburria aburri''
(Lesson 1828) Reichenbach 1853
*** Subgenus (''
Pipile
The piping guans are a bird genus, ''Pipile'', in the family Cracidae. A recent study, evaluating mtDNA, osteology and biogeography data concluding that the wattled guan belongs in the same genus as these and is a hypermelanistic piping guan. Th ...
'')
Bonaparte 1856 (piping guans)
****
Black-fronted piping guan
The black-fronted piping guan or jacutinga in Brazilian Portuguese (''Pipile jacutinga'') is a bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.del Hoyo, J., G. M. Kirwan, and C. J. Sha ...
, ''Aburria jacutinga''
(von Spix 1825)
****
Red-throated piping guan
The red-throated piping guan (''Pipile cujubi'') is a species of bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is found in Bolivia and Brazil.
Taxonomy and systematics
The taxonomies of the International Ornithological Commit ...
, ''Aburria cujubi''
(Pelzeln 1858)
****
Trinidad piping guan
The Trinidad piping guan (''Pipile pipile'') locally known as the pawi, is a bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow Family (biology), family Cracidae, Endemism, endemic to the island of Trinidad. It is a large bird, somewhat resembling a turk ...
, ''Aburria pipile''
(Jacquin 1784)
****
Blue-throated piping guan, ''Aburria cumanensis''
(Jacquin 1784)
** Genus ''
Chamaepetes
''Chamaepetes'' is a genus of bird in the family Cracidae. It contains the following species:
References
Chamaepetes,
Bird genera
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Galliformes-stub ...
''
Wagler 1832
***
Black guan, ''Chamaepetes unicolor''
Salvin 1867
***
Sickle-winged guan, ''Chamaepetes goudotii''
(Lesson 1828)
** Genus ''
Penelope
Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or el, Πηνελόπη, ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and naiad Periboea. Pe ...
''
Merrem 1786 (15 species)
***
Band-tailed guan
The band-tailed guan (''Penelope argyrotis'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
Taxonomy and systematics
The band-tailed guan is closely related to be ...
, ''Penelope argyrotis''
(Bonaparte 1856)
***
Bearded guan, ''Penelope barbata''
Chapman 1921
***
Baudo guan, ''Penelope ortoni''
Salvin 1874
***
Andean guan
The Andean guan (''Penelope montagnii'') is a gamefowl species of the family (biology), family Cracidae, in which it belongs to the guan (bird), guan subfamily Penelopinae. This bird occurs in the highlands (5,000 ft/1,500 m above mean sea l ...
, ''Penelope montagnii''
(Bonaparte 1856)
***
Marail guan, ''Penelope marail''
(Müller 1776)
***
Rusty-margined guan
The rusty-margined guan (''Penelope superciliaris'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, which includes the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
Taxonomy and systematics
The I ...
, ''Penelope superciliaris''
Temminck 1815
***
Red-faced/Dabbene's guan''Penelope dabbenei''
Hellmayr & Conover 1942
***
Crested guan
The crested guan (''Penelope purpurascens'') is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which are related to the Australasian megapodes or mound builders (Megapodiidae). It is found in the Neotropics, in lowlands forests ran ...
, ''Penelope purpurascens''
Wagler 1830
***
Cauca guan, ''Penelope perspicax''
Bangs 1911
***
White-winged guan, ''Penelope albipennis''
Taczanowski 1878
***
Spix's guan, ''Penelope jacquacu''
von Spix 1825
***
Dusky-legged guan
The dusky-legged guan (''Penelope obscura'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Uruguay, northeastern Argentina and southernmost areas of Paraguay and Brazil. In early 2021, the form ...
, ''Penelope obscura''
Temminck 1815
***
White-crested guan
The white-crested guan (''Penelope pileata'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found only in regions of the eastern Amazon basin of Brazil. The species is restricted to the southern river ...
, ''Penelope pileata''
Wagler 1830
***
Chestnut-bellied guan
The chestnut-bellied guan (''Penelope ochrogaster'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is found only in Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical swampland. It is threatened by ...
, ''Penelope ochrogaster''
Pelzeln 1870
***
White-browed guan
The white-browed guan (''Penelope jacucaca'') is a species of bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is endemic to northeastern Brazil.
Taxonomy and systematics
The white-browed guan has at times been considered conspe ...
, ''Penelope jacucaca''
von Spix 1825
** Genus ''
Penelopina
The highland guan (''Penelopina nigra'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is found in the highlands of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane ...
''
Reichenbach 1861
***
Highland guan
The highland guan (''Penelopina nigra'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is found in the highlands of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist monta ...
, ''Penelopina nigra''
(Fraser 1852) Reichenbach 1861
* Subfamily
Cracinae
Curassows are one of the three major groups of cracid birds. They comprise the largest-bodied species of the cracid family. Three of the four genera are restricted to tropical South America; a single species of ''Crax'' ranges north to Mexico. ...
** Tribe Ortalidini
Donegan 2012
*** Genus ''
Ortalis''
Merrem 1786 (chachalacas, 16 species)
**** †''
Ortalis affinis''
Feduccia & Wilson 1967
**** †''
Ortalis phengites''
Wetmore 1923
**** †''
Ortalis pollicaris''
Miller 1944
**** †''
Ortalis tantala''
Wetmore 1933
****
Plain chachalaca, ''Ortalis vetula''
(Wagler 1830)
****
Grey-headed chachalaca
The grey-headed chachalaca (''Ortalis cinereiceps'') is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which includes chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found from Honduras to Colombia.Winkler, D. W., S. M. Billerman, and ...
, ''Ortalis cinereiceps''
Gray 1867
****
Chestnut-winged chachalaca, ''Ortalis garrula''
(von Humboldt 1805)
****
Rufous-vented chachalaca
The rufous-vented chachalaca (''Ortalis ruficauda'') is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which are related to the Australasian mound builders. It inhabits northeast Colombia and northern Venezuela where it is called ...
, ''Ortalis ruficauda''
Jardine 1847
****
Rufous-headed chachalaca, ''Ortalis erythroptera''
Sclater & Salvin 1870
****
Rufous-bellied chachalaca, ''Ortalis wagleri''
Gray 1867
****
West Mexican chachalaca ''Ortalis poliocephala''
(Wagler 1830)
****
Chaco chachalaca, ''Ortalis canicollis''
(Wagler 1830)
****
White-bellied chachalaca, ''Ortalis leucogastra''
(Gould 1843)
****
Speckled chachalaca
The speckled chachalaca (''Ortalis guttata'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. ...
, ''Ortalis guttata''
(von Spix 1825)
****
Colombian chachalaca, ''Ortalis columbiana''
Hellmayr 1906
****
East Brazilian chachalaca ''Ortalis araucuan''
(von Spix 1825)
****
Scaled chachalaca, ''Ortalis squamata''
Lesson 1829
****
Little/variable/Guiana chachalaca, ''Ortalis motmot''
(Linnaeus 1766)
****
Chestnut-headed chachalaca, ''Ortalis ruficeps''
(Wagler 1830)
****
Buff-browed chachalaca, ''Ortalis superciliaris''
Gray 1867
** Tribe Oreophasini
Bonaparte 1853
*** Genus ''
Oreophasis
The horned guan (''Oreophasis derbianus'') is a large, turkey-like bird native to Central America. It is the only species in the genus ''Oreophasis''.
Taxonomy
The holotype specimen of "''Oreophasis Derbianus'' " G.R. GrayGen. Bds., 3, 1844, p. ...
''
Gray 1844
****
Horned guan
The horned guan (''Oreophasis derbianus'') is a large, turkey-like bird native to Central America. It is the only species in the genus ''Oreophasis''.
Taxonomy
The holotype specimen of "''Oreophasis Derbianus'' " G.R. GrayGen. Bds., 3, 1844, p. ...
, ''Oreophasis derbianus''
Gray 1844
** Tribe Cracini
Rafinesque 1815 (curassows)
*** Genus ''
Crax''
Linnaeus 1758 (7 species)
****
Great curassow, ''Crax rubra''
Linnaeus 1758
****
Prince Albert's/Blue-billed/knobbed curassow, ''Crax alberti''
Fraser 1852
****
Yellow-knobbed curassow
The yellow-knobbed curassow (''Crax daubentoni'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
Taxonomy and systematics
The yellow-knobbed curassow was formerly c ...
, ''Crax daubentoni''
Gray 1867
****
Globulose/Wattled/Yarrell's curassow, ''Crax globulosa''
von Spix 1825
****
Red-billed curassow, ''Crax blumenbachii''
von Spix 1825
****
Black curassow
The black curassow (''Crax alector''), also known as the smooth-billed curassow and the crested curassow, is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in humid forests in northern South America ...
, ''Crax alector''
Linnaeus 1766
****
Bare-faced curassow
The bare-faced curassow (''Crax fasciolata'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, curassows, etc. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay, and eastern Bolivia, and extreme northeast Argentina, in the cerrado, pantanal, an ...
, ''Crax fasciolata''
von Spix 1825
*** Genus ''
Mitu''
Lesson 1831 (razor-billed curassows)
****
Crestless curassow
The crestless curassow (''Mitu tomentosum'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt ...
, ''Mitu tomentosum''
(von Spix 1825)
****
Salvin's curassow
Salvin's curassow (''Mitu salvini'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. ...
, ''Mitu salvini''
Reinhardt 1879
****
Razor-billed curassow, ''Mitu tuberosum''
(von Spix 1825)
****
Alagoas curassow
The Alagoas curassow (''Mitu mitu'') 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 ...
, ''Mitu mitu''
(Linnaeus 1766) (extinct in the wild)
*** Genus ''
Nothocrax''
Burmeister 1856
****
Nocturnal curassow
The nocturnal curassow (''Nothocrax urumutum'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, ...
, ''Nothocrax urumutum''
(von Spix 1825) Burmeister 1856
*** Genus ''
Pauxi
The genus ''Pauxi'' consists of the three species of helmeted curassows, terrestrial black fowl with ornamental casque on their heads. All are found in South America.
This genus contains 3 species
As indicated by analysis of mt and nDNA seque ...
''
Temminck 1813 (helmeted curassows)
****
Horned curassow
The horned curassow (''Pauxi unicornis''), or southern helmeted curassow, is a species of bird in the family Cracidae found in humid tropical and subtropical forests. It was first described by James Bond and Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee in 1939 ...
, ''Pauxi unicornis''
Bond & Meyer de Schauensee 1939
****
Sira curassow
The Sira curassow (''Pauxi koepckeae'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is found in the Cerros del Sira in central Peru. Its natural habitat is tropical, moist, montane cloud forest.
It was first discovered in 1969, when a male ...
, ''Pauxi koepckeae''
Weske & Terborgh 1971
****
Helmeted curassow
The helmeted curassow (''Pauxi pauxi'') or northern helmeted curassow, is a large terrestrial bird in the family Cracidae found in the subtropical cloud-forest in steep, mountainous regions of western Venezuela and northern Colombia. There are t ...
, ''Pauxi pauxi''
(Linnaeus 1766) Temminck 1813
Alternatively, all subfamilies except the Penelopinae could be lumped into the Cracinae. As the initial radiation of cracids is not well resolved at present (see below), the system used here seems more appropriate. It is also quite probable that entirely
extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
subfamilies exist as the
fossil record
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...
is utterly incomplete.
Evolution
Recent research has analyzed
mt and
nDNA
Nuclear DNA (nDNA), or nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid, is the DNA contained within each cell nucleus of a eukaryotic organism. It encodes for the majority of the genome in eukaryotes, with mitochondrial DNA and plastid DNA coding for the rest. I ...
sequences
In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is called t ...
,
morphological, and
biogeographical data to study the phylogenetic relationships of cracid birds, namely the relationships among the genera (Pereira ''et al.'', 2002), the relationships between the species of curassows (Pereira & Baker, 2004) and between the piping- and wattled guans (Grau ''et al.'', 2005). The traditional groups—chachalacas, guans, and curassows—are verified as distinct
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
s, but the
horned guan
The horned guan (''Oreophasis derbianus'') is a large, turkey-like bird native to Central America. It is the only species in the genus ''Oreophasis''.
Taxonomy
The holotype specimen of "''Oreophasis Derbianus'' " G.R. GrayGen. Bds., 3, 1844, p. ...
represents the sole survivor of a very distinct and ancient lineage.
In addition, the molecular data suggest that the Cracidae originated in the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...
, but the authors caution that this cannot be more than a hypothesis at present: as the rate of molecular evolution is neither constant over time nor uniform between genera and even species, dating based on molecular information has a very low accuracy over such long timespans and needs to be corroborated by
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
evidence. The fossil record of cracids is limited to a single doubtfully distinct genus of chachalaca, ''
Boreortalis'' (Hawthorn
Early Miocene
The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages.
The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 Ma to 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). It was prece ...
of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, USA; may actually be a
junior synonym
The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
* In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...
of ''Ortalis'') and some species in the modern genus ''
Ortalis'', however. This does not provide any assistance in evaluating the hypothesis (Pereira ''et al.'', 2002) that the split between the 4 main lineages of our time occurred quite rapidly, approximately in the
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
or slightly earlier, somewhere between 40 and 20
mya.
The genera ''
Procrax'' and ''
Palaeonossax'' are often considered cracids, but this is not certain at all; they may belong to a related extinct lineage. It is unfortunate that of these too, few good fossils are known, as they date to about the time when the modern groups presumably diverged. Should they be cracids, they are not unlikely to represent either some of the last members of the family before guans, chachalacas, etc. evolved, or very early representatives of these lineages.
Thus, the assumption that the modern diversity started to evolve in the late
Paleogene
The Paleogene ( ; British English, also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period, geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million yea ...
, continuing throughout the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
and onwards, must also be considered hypothetical given the lack of robust evidence. Still, the "molecular" scenario is entirely possible considering what is known about the evolution and radiation of the
Galloanserae, and consistent with the
paleogeography
Palaeogeography (or paleogeography) is the study of historical geography, generally physical landscapes. Palaeogeography can also include the study of human or cultural environments. When the focus is specifically on landforms, the term pale ...
of the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
. The
ichnotaxon
An ichnotaxon (plural ichnotaxa) is "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", i.e. the non-human equivalent of an artifact. ''Ichnotaxa'' comes from the Greek ίχνος, ''ichnos'' meaning ''track'' and ταξις, ''taxis'' meaning ...
''Tristraguloolithus cracioides'' is based on fossil eggshell fragments from the Late Cretaceous
Oldman Formation
The Oldman Formation is a stratigraphic unit of Late Cretaceous (Campanian stage) age that underlies much of southern Alberta, Canada. It consists primarily of sandstones that were deposited in fluvial channel and floodplain environments. It was ...
of southern
Alberta, Canada
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to t ...
which are similar to chachalaca eggs (Zelenitsky ''et al.'', 1996), but in the absence of bone material their relationships cannot be determined except that they are apparently not from a
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
.
By comparison, speciation within curassows (''
Crax'', ''
Nothocrax'', ''
Pauxi
The genus ''Pauxi'' consists of the three species of helmeted curassows, terrestrial black fowl with ornamental casque on their heads. All are found in South America.
This genus contains 3 species
As indicated by analysis of mt and nDNA seque ...
'' and ''
Mitu'') and the piping/wattled guans is supported by better evidence. It was usually caused by changes in
topography
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps.
Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
which divided populations (
vicariant speciation), mainly due to the uplift of the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
which led to the establishment of the modern river basins. The distribution of curassow and piping-guan species for the most part follows the layout of these river systems, and in the latter case, apparently many
extinction
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
s of populations in lowland areas (Grau ''et al.'', 2005). Another result was that the
wattled guan
The wattled guan (''Aburria aburri'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is a fairly large black cracid with blue-based, black-tipped beak and a long, red-and-yellow Wattle (anatomy), wattle.
It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, ...
belongs to the same genus as the piping-guans, which thus use the older name ''
Aburria'' (Grau ''et al.'', 2005).
Originally interpreted as a
turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
by
Othniel Charles Marsh
Othniel Charles Marsh (October 29, 1831 – March 18, 1899) was an American professor of Paleontology in Yale College and President of the National Academy of Sciences. He was one of the preeminent scientists in the field of paleontology. Among h ...
, ''
Meleagris antiquus'' was referred to as Cracidae in 1964 by
Pierce Brodkorb
William Pierce Brodkorb (September 29, 1908, Chicago – July 18, 1992, Gainesville, Florida) was an American ornithologist and paleontologist.
Interested in birds since childhood, he was taught to prepare birds at the age of 16. Later, he rec ...
. It is nowadays considered unambiguously to be a
Cariamiformes
Cariamiformes (or Cariamae) is an order of primarily flightless birds that has existed for over 60 million years. The group includes the family Cariamidae (seriemas) and the extinct families Phorusrhacidae, Bathornithidae, Idiornithidae and Ame ...
under
Bathornithidae
Bathornithidae is an extinct family of birds from the Eocene to Miocene of North America. Part of Cariamiformes, they are related to the still extant seriemas and the also extinct Phorusrhacidae. They were likely similar in habits, being terrest ...
, and indeed a very different animal from cracids, being a 2 meter tall terrestrial predator. Similarly, ''
Palaeophasianus
''Palaeophasianus'' is an extinct genus of flightless Geranoididae birds that lived in North America during the Eocene period. Robert Wilson Shufeldt classified ''Palaeophasianus'' as a galliform when he described it in 1913. However it was trans ...
'' has been reassigned to
Geranoididae
Geranoididae is a clade of extinct birds from the early to late Eocene and possibly early Oligocene of North America and Europe. These were mid-sized, long-legged flightless birds.Gerald Mayr (2009). Paleogene Fossil Birds Recent research shows ...
, a lineage of large,
ostrich
Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There are ...
-like stem-
cranes.
Description
Cracids are large birds, similar in general appearance to
turkeys
The turkey is a large bird in the genus ''Meleagris'', native to North America. There are two extant turkey species: the wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') of eastern and central North America and the ocellated turkey (''Meleagris ocellat ...
. The guans and curassows live in trees, but the smaller chachalacas are found in more open scrubby habitats. Many species are fairly long tailed, which may be an aide to navigating their largely arboreal existence. They are generally dull-plumaged, but the curassows and some guans have colourful facial ornaments. The birds in this family are particularly vocal, with the chachalacas taking their name from the sound of their call.
[ Cracids range in size from the ]little chachalaca
The little chachalaca (''Ortalis motmot'') is a bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela and possibly Colombia.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. B ...
(''Ortalis motmot''), at as little as and , to the great curassow (''Crax rubra''), at nearly and .
Behaviour and ecology
These species feed on fruit, insects and worms. They build nests in trees, and lay two to three large white eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
, which only the female incubates alone. The young are precocial
In biology, altricial species are those in which the young are underdeveloped at the time of birth, but with the aid of their parents mature after birth. Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the mome ...
and are born with an instinct to immediately climb and seek refuge in the nesting tree. They are able to fly within days of hatching.
Footnotes
References
*
* del Hoyo, J. (1994). Family Cracidae (Chachalacas, Guans and Curassows). Pp. 310–363 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'', Vol. 2. New World Vultures to Guineafowl. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
*
*
*
External links
Cracid Specialist Group – an organization of 200 'cracidologists'
BirdPhotos.com – high resolution photos of most species
Cracidae videos
on the Internet Bird Collection
{{Taxonbar, from=Q725342
Bird families
Higher-level bird taxa restricted to the Neotropics
Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque