The view was first described in 1825 by Johann Baptist von Spiks and for a long time was known only from the stories of naturalists, such as Prince Maximilian Vid-Neuwid , who discovered it in 1816. The species got its name in honor of Johann Friedrich Blumenbach , a famous German anthropologist and teacher of Prince Vid-Neuwied. In August 1939, a German ornithologist Helmut Zekh set out on an expedition to the Brazilian state of Espiritu Santo and discovered the first specimens of the red-billed Crax in the wild at Rio Cupido and Rio Dosi near Linhares. Before this discovery, two copies came to the New York Zoo and three museum copies to Europe.
These birds can reach a length of 84 cm. The plumage of males is brilliantly black with a slight greenish-blue tint. The tail is black. The tail and tail are white. On the head is a black crest of wavy feathers. A dark brown beak with a black top is decorated with a red-orange bulge with growths. Dark brown, almost black eyes are surrounded by purple-brown skin of the face, the rest of the face is black feathers. Long legs are painted black. The female has red tails and undertails. The upper side and tail are black as in males, however, they have a greater number of almost imperceptible wavy stripes from red to chestnut in color on the wings, as well as the tail and lower abdomen. The shorter crest is black and usually has three white feathers lying closely adjacent. Beak and skin pale black. They have no growths and bulges on their beaks, but only a small thickening. The eyes are light brown and much paler than that of males. The color of the legs varies from faint blood red to faint pink.
Like all Kraks, the female lays 2 eggs with an interval of 48 hours. Chicks are born after 28-30 days. The food of the red-billed Kraks consists of fruits, seeds and insects, which he picks up from the ground. Life expectancy can be up to 20 years (in captivity).
Out of the wild, less than 250 individuals are distributed over 4 or 5 reservations. The largest populations are in Sooretama Reserve (60 individuals) and in Linhares Forest Reserve (100 individuals) in Espirito Santo.
Now 13 zoos (including Chester Zoo , Vogelpark Walsrode , Cracid Breeding Center , Zutendaal , Belgium, Diergaarde Blijdorp , Rotterdam) are trying to restore the population in captivity within the framework of the European program for the conservation and breeding of endangered species. Birds are raised in captivity, so the population can be increased by releasing them to freedom.
