San Diego Zoo Safari Park welcomed its first blue-billed curassow chick, a critically endangered species with under 1,500 remaining in the wild. This resounding success reflects nine years of dedicated work with this species by the bird department at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

A blue-billed curassow is a striking, medium-to-large bird with glossy black feathers covering most of its body. The most distinguishing feature is its blue beak (most noticeable in males), which gives it its name.

The male has white belly feathers while females display brownish belly feathers and can sometimes have more muted tones. The blue-billed curassow also has a prominent, curled crest of feathers atop its head and often raises these feathers when it’s feeling alert, excited, or during social displays.

Blue-billed curassows once occupied vast areas of northern Columbia. Still, due to habitat loss (particularly due to the addition of palm oil plantations), hunting, and wildlife trafficking, today, these striking birds are found in only a handful of small areas of tropical lowland forest in Columbia.

The Safari Park is also home to its Bird Conservation Center, a center spanning over 4 acres, making it one of North America’s largest off-habitat bird centers. Housing up to 300 birds at one time, the center provides care for endangered and non-endangered birds from around the world, as well as birds that are extinct in the wild.

Through advanced conservation programs, partnerships, and expertise, the Bird Conservation Center plays a crucial role in safeguarding bird species that might otherwise be lost forever, as well as offering a haven for confiscated or retired birds. Thanks to the efforts of this center, numerous bird species made remarkable recoveries, including California condors, light-footed Ridgway’s rails, Western burrowing owls, and various species of hornbills, storks, and vultures.