The great curassow (Crax rubra) 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.

This species has a similar voice to several other curassows, its call consisting of a "peculiar" lingering whistle.

[7] This species has been noted for its rather aggressive temperament, which has been regularly directed at humans when the birds are held in captivity.

When a potential predator is near their offspring, curassows have been noted to engage in a distraction display, feigning injury.

When attacking humans, the curassows leap in fluttering flight and scratch about the head, targeting the eyes.

It is part of a clade that inhabited the north of South America since about 9 mya (Tortonian, Late Miocene).

Due to ongoing habitat loss and overhunting in some areas, the great curassow is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

[1] It is listed on Appendix III of CITES in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia and Honduras.