Crestless Curassow vs Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Mitu tomentosum compared with Ortalis erythroptera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Crestless Curassow | Rufous-headed Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Mitu tomentosum | Ortalis erythroptera |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 72.9 cm (28.7 in) | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) |
| Weight | 2268.75 g (80.03 oz) | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fruits, seeds, and invertebrates in Amazonian lowland forests of Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. Forages … | 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
Crestless Curassow
Emits a deep, resonant booming call; male's voice is extraordinarily loud. The deep, far-carrying booms of displaying males echo through Amazonian and Orinoco 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
Crestless Curassow
Resident in the Orinoco and Amazon Basins of Venezuela, Colombia, and northern Brazil. Found in lowland rainforest and forest edges.
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
Crestless Curassow
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Crestless Curassow
Glossy black above and on breast; lower belly and undertail coverts white; bill large and bright red; no crest. White belly and red bill against black plumage create strong contrast.
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
Crestless Curassow
A large cracid (~2.3 kg) of family Cracidae, with black plumage, white-tipped tail, and a red bill without a prominent crest. Inhabits lowland humid forests in the Orinoco and northern Amazon basins of Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. Forages on the forest floor and in the canopy for fruits and seeds. Least Concern with stable populations in remote forests.
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.