Sickle-winged Guan vs Grey-headed Chachalaca
Chamaepetes goudotii compared with Ortalis cinereiceps
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sickle-winged Guan | Grey-headed Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Chamaepetes goudotii | Ortalis cinereiceps |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 50.7 cm (20.0 in) | 41.1 cm (16.2 in) |
| Weight | 702.0 g (24.76 oz) | 566.5 g (19.98 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Andean foothill and montane forests. Forages at … | Frugivorous and folivorous; eats fruits, berries, leaves, and buds in Central American forest edges and … |
| Clutch Size | 2-3 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Sickle-winged Guan
Emits a loud, resonant cackling call and loud wing-whirring. The guan call carries through Andean cloud forest; wing-whirring display flight is a diagnostic feature in the mountains.
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Produces a loud, raucous cha-cha-lac chorus at dawn; individual notes are hoarser and lower than Plain Chachalaca. Groups call antiphonally from treetops in Central American forest edge.
Geographic Range & Migration
Sickle-winged Guan
Resident in the Andes from Colombia south to Bolivia at 1,500-3,400 m. Found in humid cloud forest.
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Resident from Honduras south through Central America to Panama and northwestern Colombia. Found in humid forest and dense vegetation.
Conservation Status
Sickle-winged Guan
Grey-headed Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Sickle-winged Guan
Dark chestnut-brown above and on breast; lower belly rufous-chestnut; bare blue facial skin around eye; wings distinctively curved sickle-like; no wattle; tail dark brown.
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Olive-brown body; head and neck distinctly grey contrasting with brownish back; bare reddish throat skin; underparts pale buff-grey; tail graduated, brown with paler tips on outer feathers.
About These Birds
Sickle-winged Guan
A medium-sized cracid (~700 g) of family Cracidae, with sickle-shaped outer primaries and blue facial skin. Inhabits humid Andean cloud forests and forest edges from Colombia to Bolivia at 900–3,000 m elevation. Arboreal, feeding mainly on small fruits and berries. Least Concern; widely distributed in the Andean cloud forest zone and common in undisturbed montane habitats.
Grey-headed Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~565 g) of family Cracidae, with a distinctive grey head and olive-brown body. Inhabits humid tropical forests, forest edges, and scrublands from Honduras south to northwestern Colombia. Forages in groups for fruits, berries, leaves, and insects in the understory and canopy. Least Concern; common throughout its range in Central American lowlands.