Alagoas Curassow vs Little Chachalaca
Mitu mitu compared with Ortalis motmot
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Alagoas Curassow | Little Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Mitu mitu | Ortalis motmot |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Extinct in the Wild | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 79.2 cm (31.2 in) | 41.4 cm (16.3 in) |
| Weight | 2852.5 g (100.62 oz) | 482.5 g (17.02 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, seeds, and invertebrates in the ground and forest understorey. Extinct in wild; … | Feeds on fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Amazonian and Guianan forest edges and gallery … |
| 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.
Little Chachalaca
Produces a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; voice is somewhat higher-pitched than larger species. Dawn choruses echo across Amazonian and Guyanan lowland forest edge.
Geographic Range & Migration
Alagoas Curassow
Endemic to northeastern Brazil in Alagoas. Extinct in the wild; survives only in captivity. Last wild record was 1980s.
Little Chachalaca
Resident in the Guiana region from Venezuela and the Guianas south into northern Brazil. Found in lowland forest.
Conservation Status
Alagoas Curassow
Little 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 …
Little Chachalaca
Small; olive-brown body with grey head; bare reddish throat skin; underparts pale buff-grey; tail brownish with whitish tips to outer feathers. One of the smallest chachalacas, otherwise typical in pattern.
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.
Little Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~480 g) of family Cracidae, one of the smaller chachalacas. Found in humid forests, second growth, and forest edges across the Guianas and northern Brazil to Amazonian Colombia. Feeds on fruits and seeds in the canopy and understory. Least Concern; widespread across Amazonian lowlands and relatively tolerant of habitat disturbance.