Red-billed Curassow vs Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Crax blumenbachii compared with Ortalis ruficauda
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Red-billed Curassow | Rufous-vented Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Crax blumenbachii | Ortalis ruficauda |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Endangered | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 76.8 cm (30.2 in) | 44.0 cm (17.3 in) |
| Weight | 3250.0 g (114.64 oz) | 604.4 g (21.32 oz) |
| Diet | Eats large fruits, seeds, and invertebrates on Atlantic forest floor in Brazil. Critically endangered; diet … | Eats fruits, berries, leaves, flowers, and small insects in Venezuelan forest edges, scrub, and coastal … |
| Clutch Size | 1-3 | 3-4 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Red-billed Curassow
Emits a deep, resonant booming call; contact calls are loud, guttural clucking. Endangered; the powerful boom echoes through remnant Atlantic forest; increasingly scarce.
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Produces a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual notes are slightly harsher than Plain Chachalaca. Dawn choruses ring across Venezuelan and Trinidadian dry forest and forest edge.
Geographic Range & Migration
Red-billed Curassow
Endemic to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. Found in lowland humid forest. Critically endangered.
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Resident in northern Venezuela and Trinidad. Found in dry forest, scrub, and woodland edges in lowland areas.
Conservation Status
Red-billed Curassow
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Red-billed Curassow
Male is glossy black with white lower belly; curly black crest; vivid red bill with no knob; no yellow facial skin. Female is black barred chestnut; bright red bill is …
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Olive-brown above; grey head; bare reddish throat; underparts buff-grey grading to rich rufous-cinnamon on vent and undertail coverts; tail dark brown with buff-tipped outer feathers.
About These Birds
Red-billed Curassow
A large cracid (~3.3 kg) of family Cracidae, males black with a red and yellow bill. Endemic to a small area of Atlantic Forest in Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, Brazil. Inhabits humid lowland and foothill rainforest. Forages on the forest floor for fallen fruits and seeds. Endangered; fewer than 250 mature individuals remain following severe Atlantic Forest loss and overhunting.
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~605 g) of family Cracidae, with rufous undertail coverts and a bare red throat. Found in forest edges, thorn scrub, and deciduous woodland in Venezuela and Trinidad. Forages in groups for fruits, seeds, and leaves. Least Concern; a familiar bird in Venezuela, adapted to disturbed habitats and gardens as well as natural scrublands.