In response to the urgent need to conserve the Blue-billed Curassow (Crax alberti), one of Colombia’s most threatened bird species, Fundación ProAves held a national meeting to develop its Conservation Action Plan. The goal is to prevent the loss of this critically endangered and endemic species.
The meeting took place at the facilities of the Marine and Coastal Research Institute – INVEMAR, in Santa Marta, and brought together representatives from key national institutions, including: ASOCARS, Conservation International, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Biological Resources Research, representatives from Regional Environmental Authorities (CARs), environmental agencies, National Parks representatives, ornithological associations, members of the scientific and academic communities, and other strategic actors.
During the event, participants shared the main advances in research, monitoring, and conservation of the species, identified priority threats, and agreed on strategic actions that will serve as the foundation for the design of the action plan. This process seeks to coordinate institutional, academic, and community efforts both nationally and internationally to address the critical situation of Crax alberti.
“This meeting reaffirms the urgency and importance of joining forces to save the Blue-billed Curassow. Although we have made progress in protection and monitoring, the threat remains severe and requires coordinated, determined, and ongoing action. Only by working together — institutionally, communally, and scientifically — can we guarantee a future for this critically endangered endemic species,”
stated Kruzi Paloma Carrillo León, Executive Director of Fundación ProAves.
Critical and Rapid Decline
According to a recent article published in our journal Conservación Colombiana, over the past 25 years the Blue-billed Curassow has lost 92.8% of its natural habitat, with its estimated distribution shrinking from 12,003 km² in 1999 to just 1,150 km² in 2024. This drastic decline is mainly due to deforestation, forest fragmentation, and indiscriminate hunting.
This species, endemic to the humid forests of northern and northwestern Colombia, is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. According to the latest estimates, the wild population includes approximately 1,000 adult individuals — representing a decline of over 95%.
Although the creation of the ProAves El Paujil Reserve in 2004 has led to important efforts in habitat protection, population monitoring, and environmental education in the region, the rapid loss of forest cover and ongoing hunting pressure continue to threaten the species’ survival.
“Crax alberti is perhaps Colombia’s most iconic bird species, recognized by the Zenú communities as early as 200 to 900 B.C. Unfortunately, it is also the one that has lost the most habitat—nearly 92.8% of its original range,” stated Alex Cortés, Director of Research at ProAves.
Science, Territory, and Collective Commitment
During the meeting, thematic and regional working groups were also held, identifying concrete actions under six strategic pillars: Habitat protection and management; Policies and management instruments; Research and monitoring; Actions against hunting and illegal trade; Improvement of captive breeding and reintroduction programs; Community participation and education.
The contributions from participants — representing regions where the species is still present, such as Magdalena, Antioquia, Bolívar, Santander, and Boyacá — will be key to the final structure of the National Action Plan for the Blue-billed Curassow. This roadmap seeks to stop its extinction through an integrated, territory-based approach.
From Fundación ProAves, we reaffirm our commitment to the conservation of this unique species and to the collective construction of solutions that ensure the protection of its habitat and its survival in Colombia’s forests.
