Alagoas Curassow vs Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Mitu mitu compared with Ortalis erythroptera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Alagoas Curassow | Rufous-headed Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Mitu mitu | Ortalis erythroptera |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Extinct in the Wild | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 79.2 cm (31.2 in) | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) |
| Weight | 2852.5 g (100.62 oz) | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, seeds, and invertebrates in the ground and forest understorey. Extinct in wild; … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Pacific slope forests and forest edges of … |
| Clutch Size | 2-3 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Alagoas Curassow
Extirpated from wild (EW). Calls documented from captive birds: a deep, resonant booming similar to Razor-billed Curassow; flocks give low, guttural clucking contact calls.
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
Alagoas Curassow
Endemic to northeastern Brazil in Alagoas. Extinct in the wild; survives only in captivity. Last wild record was 1980s.
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
Alagoas Curassow
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Alagoas Curassow
Glossy black body; white lower belly and undertail; massive compressed red bill with orange-yellow tip; no head ornamentation. Now extinct in wild; the large red razor bill was its most …
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
Alagoas Curassow
A large cracid (~2.9 kg) of family Cracidae, with glossy black plumage and a distinctive red knobbed bill. Extinct in the Wild; the last wild individuals disappeared from Alagoas, Brazil by the 1980s due to deforestation of the Atlantic Forest. A captive population survives in Brazilian zoos, with reintroduction programs underway. One of the most critically imperiled birds globally.
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.