[3] The curl-crested aracari was first described by Johann Georg Wagler in 1831 but the spelling of its specific epithet was not corrected until 2020.

It gains its English name from unique curly, shiny, black feathers on the top of its head and nape; they resemble pieces of plastic or enamel.

The maxilla has an orangey culmen and a maroon stripe along its lower part that is wider at the base.

Bare blue skin surrounds their eye, and their cheeks and throat are whitish with black speckles.

[8] The curl-crested aracari apparently makes short-distance or local movements but is otherwise a year-round resident.

Its diet also includes eggs and young of other birds, and it is known to tear apart the nests of yellow-rumped caciques (Cacicus cela) to obtain them.

[8] The curl-crested aracari's breeding season appears to be mostly May to August but it may start earlier and extend longer.