Great Curassow vs Grey-headed Chachalaca
Crax rubra compared with Ortalis cinereiceps
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Great Curassow | Grey-headed Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Crax rubra | Ortalis cinereiceps |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 76.2 cm (30.0 in) | 41.1 cm (16.2 in) |
| Weight | 3756.1666666666665 g (132.49 oz) | 566.5 g (19.98 oz) |
| Diet | Eats large fallen fruits, seeds, and invertebrates on forest floor in Central and South American … | Frugivorous and folivorous; eats fruits, berries, leaves, and buds in Central American forest edges and … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Great Curassow
Emits a deep, resonant booming call; male also produces loud, crowing notes. The powerful boom carries through Central American and northwestern South American tropical forest at dawn.
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
Great Curassow
Resident from Mexico through Central America south to western Ecuador and Colombia. Found in lowland and foothill humid forest to 1,500 m.
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Resident from Honduras south through Central America to Panama and northwestern Colombia. Found in humid forest and dense vegetation.
Conservation Status
Great Curassow
Grey-headed Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Great Curassow
Male glossy black with white belly and curly black crest; bright yellow knob at bill base; female dimorphic with three morphs: barred brown, rufous, or black, all with barred tails …
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
Great Curassow
A large cracid (~3.8 kg) of family Cracidae, males black with a curly yellow-knobbed crest, females brown-barred. Found in humid lowland and montane forests from Mexico to northwestern Colombia. Forages on the forest floor and low vegetation for fallen fruits, seeds, and invertebrates. Vulnerable due to deforestation throughout Central America and hunting for bushmeat.
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.