Cracidae

Belongs within: Galliformes.

The Cracidae are a Neotropical family of gamebirds including the chachalacas, curassows and guans. Many cracids have heads with brightly coloured wattles or skin patches. The curassows of the genera Crax, Nothocrax, Pauxi and Mitu include the largest members of the family, reaching the size of a turkey. Curassows are sexually dimorphic, with females generally duller in coloration than the males; both species possess an erectile crest.

The chachalacas of the genus Ortalis are relatively small, largely brown cracids whose vernacular name is derived from their distinctive calls. Penelope and related genera include the guans, which are sexually monomorphic like the chachalacas but larger with bare faces. The horned guan Oreophasis derbianus has a high, red, fleshy ‘horn’ on the crown.

Synapomorphies (Dyke et al. 2003): Processus postorbitalis approaching, but not completely fused with, orbit; rostrum long, deep, markedly recurved; angled extension projecting from distal end of processus lateralis of coracoid.

<==Cracidae [Craciformes]
    |  i. s.: Boreortalis laesslei Brodkorb 1954U93
    |--+--Penelopina nigraBKB15
    |  `--+--ChamaepetesBKB15
    |     |    |--C. goudotiiBKB15
    |     |    `--C. unicolorBKB15
    |     `--Penelope Merrem 1786BKB15, B94 [Penelopidae]
    |          |  i. s.: P. albipennisJT12
    |          |         P. barbataJT12
    |          |         P. cristataS18
    |          |         P. dabbeneiJT12
    |          |         P. greeyii Gray 1866G66
    |          |         P. jacucacaJT12
    |          |         P. leucogastra Gould 1843G43
    |          |         P. marailJT12
    |          |         P. nigricapilla Gray 1860G66
    |          |         P. ortoniJT12
    |          |         P. perspicaxJT12
    |          |         P. pileataJT12
    |          |--P. montagniiBKB15
    |          `--+--P. jacquacuBKB15
    |             `--+--+--P. purpurascensBKB15
    |                |  |    |--P. p. purpurascensL81
    |                |  |    `--P. p. aequitorialisL81
    |                |  `--+--P. superciliarisBKB15
    |                |     `--+--P. argyrotisBKB15
    |                |        `--+--P. obscuraBKB15
    |                |           `--P. ochrogasterBKB15
    |                `--Pipile Bonaparte 1856BKB15, B94 [Pipilidae]
    |                     |--P. jacutingaBKB15
    |                     `--+--Aburria Reichenbach 1853BKB15, B94
    |                        |    |--A. aburriBKB15
    |                        |    `--A. pipileC-B86
    |                        `--+--P. cujubiBKB15
    |                           `--+--+--P. cumanensisBKB15
    |                              |  `--P. nattereriBKB15
    |                              `--+--P. grayiBKB15
    |                                 `--P. pipileBKB15
    `--+--Oreophasis Gray 1844BKB15, B94 [Oreophaseidae]
       |    `--O. derbianusBKB15
       `--+--OrtalisBKB15
          |    |  i. s.: O. araucuanAP21
          |    |         O. columbianaAP21
          |    |         O. erythropteraJT12
          |    |         O. pollicarisFP64
          |    |         O. ruficepsAP21
          |    |         O. squamataAP21
          |    |         O. superciliarisJT12
          |    |         O. wagleriJT12
          |    |--O. motmotBKB15
          |    `--+--+--O. leucogastraBKB15 [=O. vetula leucogastraFS55]
          |       |  `--O. vetulaBKB15
          |       |       |--O. v. vetulaL81
          |       |       `--O. v. mccalliL81
          |       `--+--O. cinereicepsBKB15 [=O. garrula cincereicepsL81]
          |          |--+--O. pantanalensisBKB15
          |          |  `--O. poliocephalaBKB15
          |          `--+--O. canicollisBKB15
          |             `--+--O. guttataBKB15
          |                `--+--O. garrulaBKB15
          |                   `--O. ruficaudaBKB15
          `--+--+--Nothocrax urumutumBKB15
             |  `--+--PauxiBKB15
             |     |    |--P. gilliardiBKB15 [=P. pauxi gilliardiPP62]
             |     |    |--P. koepckeaeAP21 [=P. unicornis koepckeaeHSS13]
             |     |    |--P. pauxiBKB15
             |     |    `--P. unicornisBKB15 [=P. pauxi unicornisPP62]
             |     `--MituBKB15
             |          |--M. mituBKB15
             |          `--+--M. tomentosumBKB15
             |             `--+--M. salviniBKB15
             |                `--M. tuberosumBKB15
             `--Crax Linnaeus 1758BKB15, B94
                  |  i. s.: C. globiceraRN72
                  |         C. mituZ93
                  |         C. nigra Linnaeus 1758L58
                  |         C. panamensisS18
                  |         C. pauxiC04
                  |--C. blumenbachiiBKB15
                  `--+--+--C. daubentoniBKB15
                     |  `--+--C. albertiBKB15
                     |     `--C. rubra Linnaeus 1758BKB15, C04
                     `--+--C. globulosaBKB15
                        `--+--C. alectorBKB15
                           `--C. fasciolataBKB15

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[AP21] Arlott, N., & B. van Perlo. 2021. Collins Birds of the World. William Collins.

[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.

[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.

[C04] Clarke, J. A. 2004. Morphology, phylogenetic taxonomy, and systematics of Ichthyornis and Apatornis (Avialae: Ornithurae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 286: 1–179.

[C-B86] Couture-Brunette, L. 1986. Yanomama material culture in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Part II. Wearing apparel and festival artifacts. Annals of Carnegie Museum 55 (4): 63–93.

[FS55] Felten, H., & J. Steinbacher. 1955. Zur Vogelfauna von El Salvador. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36 (1–2): 9–19.

[FP64] Fisher, J., & R. T. Peterson. 1964. The World of Birds: A comprehensive guide to general ornithology. Macdonald: London.

[G43] Gould, J. 1843. On nine new birds collected during the voyage of H.M.S. Sulphur. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 11: 103–108.

[G66] Gray, G. R. 1866. On a new species of Penelope, lately living in the Society’s gardens. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 206.

[HSS13] Hirschfeld, E., A. Swash & R. Still. 2013. The World’s Rarest Birds. Princeton University Press: Princeton (New Jersey).

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis revised 10th ed. vol. 1. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.

[L81] Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced Birds of the World: The worldwide history, distribution and influence of birds introduced to new environments. Reed: Sydney.

[PP62] Phelps, W. H., & W. H. Phelps, Jr. 1962. Two new subspecies of birds from Venezuela, the rufous phase of Pauxi pauxi, and other notes. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 75: 199–204.

[RN72] Rutgers, A., & K. A. Norris (eds.) 1972. Encyclopaedia of Aviculture vol. 1. Blandford Press: London.

[S18] Stone, W. 1918. Birds of the Panama Canal Zone, with special reference to a collection made by Mr. Lindsey L. Jewel. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 70: 239–280.

[U93] Unwin, D. M. 1993. Aves. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 717–737. Chapman & Hall: London.

[Z93] Zusi, R. L. 1993. Patterns of diversity in the avian skull. In: Hanken, J., & B. K. Hall (eds) 1993. The Skull vol. 2. Patterns of Structural and Systematic Diversity pp. 391–437. The University of Chicago Press.