Blue-billed Curassows are large, turkey-like birds found in small, fragmented lowland habitats in Colombia. Males and females both have a fleshy blue wattle that hangs below the bill, but only the male grows a cere, or a knob, on the bill. They are primarily found on the forest floor, where they find worms, insects, fruits, and seeds, but they do roost in trees. Males have a loud, distinctive booming call that they use to attract a mate. Blue-billed Curassow young are precocial, meaning they hatch fully feathered and ready to leave the nest shortly after hatching. They stay close to home, though, for several months.

Blue-billed Curassows are Critically Endangered, with an estimated 150 to 700 individuals remaining in the wild. These birds rely on large, undisturbed tracts of humid forest in lowlands and foothills, and habitat fragmentation has led to a sharp decline for the species.

An inhabitant of high mountain ranges in eastern China, the Cabot’s Tragopan—also sometimes called the Yellow-bellied Tragopan—is a grouse-like bird. Male Cabot’s Tragopans perform a spectacular display at dawn and dusk, sometimes while perched on a mossy log, which is reminiscent of Pennsylvania’s state bird, the Ruffed Grouse. Both the Ruffed Grouse and Cabot’s Tragopan flap and drum their wings during courtship displays, but the tragopan takes it a step further, slowly fanning his wings while rhythmically pumping his head up and down. He inflates two fleshy blue horns on top of his head, unfurls a red-and-blue wattle, then abruptly rears up, drums his wings, and cranes his neck. The display transforms this dusty brown bird into a colorful curiosity! This species is threatened by logging and farming, as well as hunting outside of protected areas.

The Crested Partridge is a fairly small, quail-like bird; its short tail adds to a rotund appearance. A native of low elevation, broad-leaved evergreen and dense primary forests, the Crested Partridge consumes a variety of seeds, large fruits, large beetles, ants, and snails. This species is considered Vulnerable because of habitat lost to logging and other human activities.

A fabulously majestic resident of tall, dry, primary, and secondary forests of the Indo-Malayan region, the Great Argus forages solitarily for fruit, seeds, flowers, and invertebrates on the forest floor. The bird’s taxonomic and common names both derive from Argus, the hundred-eyed giant, from Greek mythology (a reference to the many eye-like spots on the Argus’s wings and tail). Male Great Argus put on quite a courtship show on their “dancing grounds”: they carefully clear an area of all debris, then march in circles and stomp their feet loudly in front of the female. Then, he’ll show off his feathers in an incredible display, with wing feathers fanned out around his body and his two long tail feathers high up above him. The male’s call is a very loud and startling, “Kwow-wow!” Habitat loss from legal and illegal logging and hunting and trapping threaten the future of this remarkable pheasant.

The Masked Bobwhite is a member of the New World quail family. A subspecies of the Northern Bobwhite, the Masked Bobwhite is distinguished primarily by the male’s striking appearance—it has a mostly un-patterned black head and throat and rich cinnamon-colored underparts.  Female Masked Bobwhites are very similar to females of the other subspecies.  Masked Bobwhites have a very restricted range including only a few locations in extreme southern Arizona and central Sonora, Mexico.  These populations were historically very vulnerable to overgrazing, habitat fragmentation, and drought. Today, only about 200 Masked Bobwhites live in the wild, but an active captive breeding and release program is helping Masked Bobwhites raised in human care to begin to repopulate their scrubby grassland habitat.  Masked Bobwhites have a very short nesting season because they will breed only when humidity is high, and this occurs naturally only in association with the seasonal monsoon rains.

The Palawan Peacock-pheasant is a gorgeous bird with vibrant plumage; males have bright blue accents while females have striking markings and less colorful plumage. The spots on their feathers resemble eyes and may help scare away predators. Males use their remarkable plumage in an elaborate courtship display. Palawan Peacock-pheasants are strictly monogamous, and both males and females help with the rearing of young. Like many related pheasants, this species is threatened by loss of habitat and hunting.

The Vietnam Pheasant, also called the Edwards’s Pheasant, is a little-known species which may be Extinct in the Wild. It has not been observed in the wild since 2000 and is currently listed as Critically Endangered. Much of the species’ potential habitat was destroyed as a result of herbicide use during the Vietnam War, and subsequent logging and clearing of land for agriculture further contributed to the loss of suitable habitat. Hunting has also been a problem for the species.

The Vietnam Pheasant is considered by many to be the most endangered of all pheasant species. An elusive bird not seen in Central Vietnam’s dense, evergreen forests since 2000. While it’s is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered, but many believe the species could be Extinct in the Wild.