Horned Guan vs Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Oreophasis derbianus compared with Ortalis erythroptera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Horned Guan | Rufous-headed Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Oreophasis derbianus | Ortalis erythroptera |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Endangered | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 74.1 cm (29.2 in) | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) |
| Weight | 2072.8 g (73.12 oz) | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, especially bromeliads, leaves, and invertebrates in Mexican and Guatemalan cloud forests. Endangered. | 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
Horned Guan
Emits a deep, resonant booming call and loud wing-whirring display. The extraordinary, far-carrying boom is one of the most powerful calls in the cloud forest; wing-whirring is vigorous.
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
Horned Guan
Endemic to the volcanic highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, and adjacent Guatemala at 2,000-3,300 m. Found in cloud forest. Endangered.
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
Horned Guan
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Horned Guan
Black above with white streaking; white below with black streaking; extraordinary erect red horn on crown; bare red facial skin; white iris; legs red. The horn is unique among cracids.
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
Horned Guan
A large cracid (~2 kg) of family Cracidae, unique for a bright red bony horn projecting from the crown. Endemic to cloud forests above 2,000 m in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas of Mexico and adjacent Guatemala. Feeds on fruits and leaves in the forest canopy. Endangered; one of the world's most distinctive birds, threatened by cloud forest loss and hunting.
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.