Sira curassow

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Sira curassow
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Cracidae
Genus: Pauxi
Species:
P. koepckeae
Binomial name
Pauxi koepckeae
Weske & Terborgh, 1971
Pauxi koepckeae map.svg
Synonyms

Pauxi unicornis koepckeae

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. [2]

Contents

It was first discovered in 1969, when a male and female were recovered (unfortunately the female specimen was accidentally eaten), [3] and was not recorded by scientists again until 2000 and 2003, when local Asháninka people were shown pictures of the birds and respectively 1 and 14 people recalled having seen or hunted them in the past few years. [4] [5] [note 1]

The name 'Sira curassow' was proposed as a new English common name in 2011 by Gastañaga et al. to replace the previous 'horned curassow', [6] in 2012 this proposal was adopted by most of her colleagues. [7] In the Asháninka language of the area the bird is known as quiyuri according to Weske & Terborgh [1971], [3] [4] piyori according to the report 'Nombres Asháninka de las Aves en la Cordillera el Sira' by González [1998], [4] or piuri according to Gastañaga [2005]. [5]

Taxonomy and systematics

In 1969 two birds, a male and female, were discovered in Peru which resembled horned curassow. However they were found a long way from the previous P. unicornis discoveries in Bolivia. These Peruvian specimens were described by John Weske and John Terborgh in 1971 as a new subspecies of P. unicornis which they named in honour of Maria Koepcke. [3]

Many different suggestions have been regarding species status since their discovery. Some suggestions relate to the grouping of species and subspecies within the genus Pauxi. In 1943 Wetmore and Phelps described a new subspecies of the closely related P. pauxi called P. p. gilliardi. When Wetmore and Phelps looked at the three Pauxi forms known at the time, they concluded that P. p. gilliardi was an intermediate form between P. pauxi and P. unicornis. As a result of this they grouped all three forms into a single species with unicornis becoming a subspecies of pauxi. [8] [9] This position was subsequently rejected by Charles Vaurie who argued that P. pauxi and P. unicornis were not conspecific. When Weske and Terborgh discovered the subspecies koepckeae they concluded pauxi and unicornis should be considered separate species, which has been followed by all subsequent authors. [3] [9]

"Through an unfortunate misunderstanding, the female was plucked and prepared for the stewpot by our Peruvian assistants, who did not realize that we wished to preserve both birds as skins." [3]
— The unfortunate turn of events after two birds of P. unicornis koepckeae were discovered for the first time.

Other taxonomic suggestions discuss whether the genus Pauxi should stand alone or be grouped with other genera. In 1965 François Vuilleumier suggested the two Pauxi species should be moved into a single genus alongside all the other species in the closely related genera Mitu, Crax and Nothocrax. Just two years later Charles Vaurie opposed this 'lumping' of species and argued that Pauxi, Mitu, Crax and Nothocrax should each be their own genera. [8] Not content with either of these two options Delacour and Amadon suggested that Pauxi and Mitu should indeed be grouped with Crax, but that Nothocrax was distinct enough to be its on genus. Many subsequent authors followed Vaurie, Delacour and Amadon in having Nothocrax as a sister clade to Pauxi, Mitu and Crax, while most have followed Vaurie in having the three other clades as three distinct genera. [3] [9] [10]

Mitochondrial analysis conducted in 2004 suggests that P. unicornis is a sister species to Mitu tuberosum, while the other Pauxi species, P. pauxi, is sister to the combined Mitu and P. unicornis clade. This means the genus Pauxi is not monophyletic but paraphyletic, and to resolve this parsimoniously the genus Pauxi should be sunk into synonymy with Mitu. [10] The paraphyly of Pauxi could be due to incomplete lineage sorting, where a gene tree is inconsistent with its species tree, however this phenomenon should be less prevalent in deep phylogenetic splits (i.e. between genera). Because of this, Pereira et al. conclude incomplete lineage sorting is unlikely to account for the paraphyletic genus Pauxi because, according to their own analysis, Mitu and Pauxi diverged approximately 6.5mya. [10] Note that Pereira et al. were not working with any samples of P. koepckeae. [10]

A study from 2011 suggests that P. koepckeae be raised to species status as opposed to subspecies based on vocal, behavioural, ecological, and morphological differences. [6] P. koepckeae is only known from a very small geographic area and a small number of specimens (only 3, as of 2009). [2] According to a website, as of 2015, there are only two photos of the birds in existence, although this is incorrect. [11]

Description

According to Weske et al., based on a single individual bird, the Sira curassow is very similar morphologically to the horned curassow, however the casque is less erect and more rounded (ellipsoidal instead of elongated cone). [3] Additionally the outer tail feathers have narrower white tips and the four central tail feather completely lack white colouring, [3] although this last characteristic appears to be very variable and perhaps not diagnostic. [7]

Conservation

The Sira curassow is listed as critically endangered by BirdLife International for the IUCN as they believe it is threatened by habitat destruction and is hunted for meat. The birds population is believed by BirdLife International in 2016 to be below 250 individuals, citing the 2014 IUCN assessment by Gastañaga for BirdLife International (no longer available online). [1] In the 2016 IUCN assessment by BirdLife International Gastañaga in her 2011 study is said to have estimated the population to be 400. [1] This is not actually stated in her report, instead it is estimated that outside of breeding season the birds occur at a density of less than one bird per 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi) over an area encompassing at least the four known areas of occurrence, within 30 km (19 mi) of each other (thus a minimum of 900 km2 (347 sq mi), thus maximum of 900 birds). [6] [note 2] The 2016 IUCN assessment estimates that the extent of occurrence is 550 km2 (212 sq mi) (apparently all within the 6,164 km2 (2,380 sq mi) El Sira Communal Reserve), although it is unclear where this number comes from. [1]

Because of the difference between the stated populations in 2011 and 2014, the 2016 IUCN assessment assumes the population is experiencing a 'decreasing trend'. [1]

According to BirdLife International, the greatest threat to the species is occasional traditional hunting by the local Asháninka people. [1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Note that an Asháninka name was recorded for the bird in the 1990s, thus indicating scientists were recording its existence at the time.
  2. ↑ It is unclear if Graham's specimen and sightings in 2007 on the other side of the mountain range were included, however, these were only 20 km (12 mi) from the first sightings. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cracidae</span> Family of birds

The chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae. These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. The range of one species, the plain chachalaca, just reaches southernmost parts of Texas in the United States. Two species, the Trinidad piping guan and the rufous-vented chachalaca occur on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curassow</span> Subfamily of birds

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. They form a distinct clade which is usually classified as the subfamily Cracinae.

<i>Crax</i> Genus of birds

Crax is a genus of curassows in the order Galliformes, a clade of large, heavy-bodied, ground-feeding birds. They are known from tropical South America with one species, the great curassow, ranging northwards through Central America as far as Mexico. The curassows in this genus are noted for their sexual dimorphism; males are more boldly coloured than females and have facial ornamentation such as knobs and wattles. They are also characterised by curly crests and contrastingly-coloured crissa. Crax curassows probably originated as a distinct lineage during the Late Miocene. During the Messinian, the ancestral Crax split into two lineages separated by the Colombian Andes and the Cordillera de Mérida which uplifted at that time. The northern lineage radiated into the great, blue-billed, and yellow-knobbed curassows, while the four southern species evolved as they became separated by the uplifting of various mountain ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great curassow</span> Species of bird

The great curassow is a large, pheasant-like bird from the Neotropical rainforests, its range extending from eastern Mexico, through Central America to western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Male birds are black with curly crests and yellow beaks; females come in three colour morphs, barred, rufous and black. These birds form small groups, foraging mainly on the ground for fruits and arthropods, and the occasional small vertebrate, but they roost and nest in trees. This species is monogamous, the male usually building the rather small nest of leaves in which two eggs are laid. This species is threatened by loss of habitat and hunting, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "vulnerable".

Maria Koepcke was a German ornithologist known for her work with Neotropical bird species. Koepcke was a well-respected authority in South American ornithology and her work is still referenced today. For her efforts, she is commemorated in the scientific names of four Peruvian bird species and, along with her husband, a Peruvian lizard species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmeted curassow</span> Species of bird

The helmeted curassow 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 two subspecies found in different mountain ranges. It is a mostly black bird with a white tip to its tail, a red bill and a distinctive grey casque on its forehead. The population of this bird is in decline and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "endangered".

<i>Pauxi</i> Genus of birds

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alagoas curassow</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wattled curassow</span> Species of bird

The wattled curassow is a threatened member of the family Cracidae, the curassows, guans, and chachalacas. It is found in remote rainforests in the western Amazon basin in South America. Males have black plumage, except for a white crissum, with curly feathers on the head and red bill ornaments and wattles. Females and juveniles are similar but lack the bill ornamentation and have a reddish-buff crissum area. The wattled curassow is the most ancient lineage of the southern Crax curassows. In captivity, it sometimes hybridises with the blue-billed curassow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horned guan</span> Species of bird

The horned guan is a large, turkey-like bird native to Central America. It is the only species in the genus Oreophasis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-billed curassow</span> Species of bird

The blue-billed curassow is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black curassow</span> Species of bird

The black curassow, 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 in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas including Suriname, and far northern Brazil, and is introduced to Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Lesser Antilles. It is the only Crax curassow where the male and female cannot be separated by plumage, as both are essentially black with a white crissum, and have a yellow or orange-red cere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-knobbed curassow</span> Species of bird

The yellow-knobbed curassow is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bare-faced curassow</span> Species of bird

The bare-faced curassow 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, and the southeastern region of the Amazon basin. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvin's curassow</span> Species of bird

Salvin's curassow is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crestless curassow</span> Species of bird

The crestless curassow is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Razor-billed curassow</span> Species of bird

The razor-billed curassow is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nocturnal curassow</span> Species of bird

The nocturnal curassow is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horned curassow</span> Species of bird

The horned curassow, 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 from a specimen collected in Bolivia, and further birds that were described from Peru in 1971 were thought to be a new subspecies. However, the taxonomical position of the birds found in Peru in 1971 is unclear. The horned curassow as originally described is endemic to Bolivia. It is a large, predominantly black bird with a distinctive casque on its forehead. It is an uncommon bird with a limited range and is suffering from habitat loss, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "critically endangered".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sira tanager</span> Species of bird

The Sira tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to Peru and exists only in the Sira range.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 BirdLife International (2018). "Pauxi koepckeae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T45090459A126994703. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T45090459A126994703.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Graham, J.G. (2009). "A new specimen of Southern Horned Curassow Pauxi unicornis from Peru" (PDF). Cotinga . 31: 73.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Weske, J.S. & Terborgh, J.W. (1971). "A New Subspecies of Curassow of the Genus Pauxi from Peru" (PDF). The Auk . 88 (2): 233–238. doi:10.2307/4083876. JSTOR   4083876.
  4. 1 2 3 Mee, Allan; Ohlson, Jan; Stewart, Ian; Wilson, Mark; Örn, Peter & Diaz Ferreyra, Jefferson (2002). "The Cerros del Sira revisited: birds of submontane and montane forest" (PDF). Cotinga . 18: 46–57.
  5. 1 2 Gastañaga, M. & Hennessey, A.B. (2005). "Uso de información local para reevaluar la población de Pauxi unicornis en Perú" (PDF). Cotinga (in Spanish). 23: 18–22.
  6. 1 2 3 Gastañaga-C., M.; MacLeod, R.; Brooks, D.M. & Hennessey, B. (2011). "Distinctive morphology, ecology, and first vocal descriptions of Sira Curassow (Pauxi [unicornis] koepckeae): evidence for species rank" (PDF). Ornitol. Neotrop. 22: 267–279. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-05.
  7. 1 2 South American Classification Committee (November 23, 2012). "Proposal (#537) to South American Classification Committee – Elevate Pauxi unicornis koepckeae to species status" . Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  8. 1 2 Vaurie, C. (1967). "Systematic notes on the bird family Cracidae, 10. The genera Mitu and Pauxi and the generic relationships of the Cracini". American Museum Novitates (2307): 1–20. hdl:2246/3507.
  9. 1 2 3 Cox, G.; Read, J.M.; Clarke, R.O.S. & Easty, V.S. (1997). "Studies of Horned Curassow Pauxi unicornis in Bolivia". Bird Conservation International. 7 (3): 199–211. doi: 10.1017/S0959270900001532 .
  10. 1 2 3 4 Pereira, S.L. & Baker, A.J. (2004). "Vicariant speciation of curassows (Aves, Cracidae): a hypothesis based on mitochondrial DNA phylogeny". Auk . 121 (3): 682–694. doi: 10.1642/0004-8038(2004)121[0682:VSOCAC]2.0.CO;2 .
  11. ↑ "Scientists capture first ever footage of rare, threatened bird in Peru's Cerros del Sira". news.mongabay.com. 15 September 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2017.

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