Chaco Chachalaca vs Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Ortalis canicollis compared with Ortalis wagleri
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Chaco Chachalaca | Rufous-bellied Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis canicollis | Ortalis wagleri |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 47.1 cm (18.5 in) | 48.3 cm (19.0 in) |
| Weight | 578.5 g (20.41 oz) | 834.0 g (29.42 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Chaco scrubland and forest edges of Argentina, Bolivia, … | Feeds on fruits, berries, seeds, leaves, and small invertebrates in Mexican thorn scrub and deciduous … |
| Clutch Size | 2-4 | 3 |
| 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-bellied Chachalaca
Produces a loud, deep raucous chorus; the lowest-pitched Ortalis chachalaca call. The deep, resonant cha-cha-LAC booms across Mexican Pacific slope deciduous forest at dawn.
Geographic Range & Migration
Chaco Chachalaca
Resident in the Chaco of Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Found in dry forest, thornbush, and gallery forest.
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Endemic to the Pacific coast of western Mexico from Sinaloa to Colima. Found in tropical dry forest and thorn scrub.
Conservation Status
Chaco Chachalaca
Rufous-bellied 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-bellied Chachalaca
Olive-brown above; head grey with bare reddish throat; underparts strongly washed rufous-buff becoming deep rufous on belly and flanks; graduated tail dark brown with pale-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-bellied Chachalaca
A larger chachalaca (~834 g) of family Cracidae, with a rufous wash on the underparts. Endemic to the Pacific slope of northwestern Mexico, from Sonora to Jalisco. Inhabits tropical dry forest, thorn scrub, and deciduous woodland. Forages in groups on fruits, seeds, and insects. Least Concern; range restricted to the Mexican Pacific coast but populations remain stable.