Chaco Chachalaca vs Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Ortalis canicollis compared with Ortalis ruficauda
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Chaco Chachalaca | Rufous-vented Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis canicollis | Ortalis ruficauda |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 47.1 cm (18.5 in) | 44.0 cm (17.3 in) |
| Weight | 578.5 g (20.41 oz) | 604.4 g (21.32 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Chaco scrubland and forest edges of Argentina, Bolivia, … | Eats fruits, berries, leaves, flowers, and small insects in Venezuelan forest edges, scrub, and coastal … |
| Clutch Size | 2-4 | 3-4 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Chaco Chachalaca
Produces a loud, raucous cha-cha-lac chorus; calls are dry and slightly nasal. Dawn choruses echo across the Chaco scrubland; groups call insistently from prominent perches.
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Produces a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual notes are slightly harsher than Plain Chachalaca. Dawn choruses ring across Venezuelan and Trinidadian dry forest and forest edge.
Geographic Range & Migration
Chaco Chachalaca
Resident in the Chaco of Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Found in dry forest, thornbush, and gallery forest.
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Resident in northern Venezuela and Trinidad. Found in dry forest, scrub, and woodland edges in lowland areas.
Conservation Status
Chaco Chachalaca
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Chaco Chachalaca
Brownish-olive above; neck and head pale grey ('canicollis' = grey-necked); bare pink throat skin; underparts pale grey-white; tail dark brownish with white-tipped outer rectrices.
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Olive-brown above; grey head; bare reddish throat; underparts buff-grey grading to rich rufous-cinnamon on vent and undertail coverts; tail dark brown with buff-tipped outer feathers.
About These Birds
Chaco Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~580 g) of family Cracidae, with grey neck and olive-brown plumage. Inhabits the dry woodlands, gallery forests, and thorn scrub of the Gran Chaco region across Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Feeds in social groups on fruits, leaves, and seeds. Least Concern; broadly distributed across the Chaco, tolerating degraded and secondary habitats.
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~605 g) of family Cracidae, with rufous undertail coverts and a bare red throat. Found in forest edges, thorn scrub, and deciduous woodland in Venezuela and Trinidad. Forages in groups for fruits, seeds, and leaves. Least Concern; a familiar bird in Venezuela, adapted to disturbed habitats and gardens as well as natural scrublands.