Bare-faced Curassow vs Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Crax fasciolata compared with Ortalis erythroptera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Bare-faced Curassow | Rufous-headed Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Crax fasciolata | Ortalis erythroptera |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 71.0 cm (28.0 in) | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) |
| Weight | 2580.0 g (91.01 oz) | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats large fallen fruits, seeds, and invertebrates on ground in Brazilian Cerrado, pantanal, and … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Pacific slope forests and forest edges of … |
| Clutch Size | 2-3 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Bare-faced Curassow only
None
Rufous-headed Chachalaca only
None
Song & Call Comparison
Bare-faced Curassow
Produces a deep, resonant booming call; male and female give guttural clucking contact calls. Calls carry through Brazilian Cerrado and gallery forest at dawn.
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Emits a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual calls are slightly higher than Rufous-vented. Dawn choruses carry across Ecuadorian and Peruvian coastal dry forest.
Geographic Range & Migration
Bare-faced Curassow
Resident in central South America from Brazil south to Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina. Found in cerrado, dry forest, and gallery woodland.
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Resident in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Found in tropical deciduous forest and scrub in the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena region.
Conservation Status
Bare-faced Curassow
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Bare-faced Curassow
Male is glossy black with white belly; curly crest; large area of bare yellow facial skin; yellow bill with no knob. Female is black barred with chestnut; extensive bare facial …
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Brownish-olive body; head and upper neck warm rufous-cinnamon, distinctly contrasting with greyish-brown back; bare reddish throat wattle; underparts pale buff; tail dark with pale outer tips.
About These Birds
Bare-faced Curassow
A large cracid (~2.6 kg) of family Cracidae, with bare yellow facial skin around the eye and a yellow-based bill. Inhabits gallery forests, cerrado woodland, and humid tropical forests of the Brazilian interior, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Forages on the forest floor and lower canopy. Vulnerable due to extensive cerrado and gallery forest clearing and hunting pressure.
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~630 g) of family Cracidae, with a striking rufous head. Inhabits humid and deciduous forests, forest edges, and scrub in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Feeds on fruits and leaves in the forest understory and canopy. Vulnerable due to extensive deforestation in the Tumbesian region, one of the world's most threatened biodiversity hotspots.