Razor-billed Curassow vs Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Mitu tuberosum compared with Ortalis erythroptera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Razor-billed Curassow | Rufous-headed Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Mitu tuberosum | Ortalis erythroptera |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Near Threatened | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 77.1 cm (30.4 in) | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) |
| Weight | 2893.3333333333335 g (102.06 oz) | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fruits, palm fruits, seeds, and invertebrates in Amazonian lowland forests. Forages mainly on ground … | 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
Razor-billed Curassow
Emits a deep, resonant booming call; male's boom is among the most powerful of any cracid. The thundering boom echoes far through western Amazonian terra firme 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
Razor-billed Curassow
Resident across much of the Amazon Basin from Colombia and Venezuela south to Bolivia and Brazil. Found in lowland and várzea rainforest.
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
Razor-billed Curassow
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Razor-billed Curassow
Glossy blue-black overall; white lower belly and undertail coverts; distinctive laterally compressed blade-like red bill with small red knob at base; no crest; legs 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
Razor-billed Curassow
A large cracid (~2.9 kg) of family Cracidae, named for its laterally compressed, razor-like red bill. Inhabits lowland Amazonian rainforest in central and eastern Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. Forages on the forest floor and in the canopy for hard seeds and fruits. Near Threatened due to intensive hunting for food and sport throughout the Amazon basin.
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.