Salvin's Curassow vs Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Mitu salvini compared with Ortalis erythroptera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Salvin's Curassow | Rufous-headed Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Mitu salvini | Ortalis erythroptera |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 73.3 cm (28.9 in) | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) |
| Weight | 3550.0 g (125.22 oz) | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, seeds, and small invertebrates on the ground and in the lower canopy … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Pacific slope forests and forest edges of … |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Salvin's Curassow
Produces a deep, resonant booming call. Calls carry through Colombian and Ecuadorian Amazonian forest; the deep boom is the standard territorial call of the Mitu curassow genus.
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
Salvin's Curassow
Resident in the Amazon Basin of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. Found in lowland and foothill rainforest along rivers.
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
Salvin's Curassow
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Salvin's Curassow
Glossy black overall; lower belly and vent white; large compressed red bill with pale yellow tip; no crest or knob. Virtually identical to Crestless Curassow; white lower belly and red …
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
Salvin's Curassow
A large cracid (~3.6 kg) of family Cracidae, with glossy black plumage and a swollen red bill. Inhabits lowland tropical forests east of the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and northwestern Brazil. Forages primarily on the forest floor and in low vegetation for fallen fruits and seeds. Least Concern; range covers extensive Amazonian forest but is vulnerable to local 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.