Grey-headed Chachalaca vs Sira Curassow
Ortalis cinereiceps compared with Pauxi koepckeae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Grey-headed Chachalaca | Sira Curassow |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis cinereiceps | Pauxi koepckeae |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Critically Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 41.1 cm (16.2 in) | 93.6 cm (36.9 in) |
| Weight | 566.5 g (19.98 oz) | 3745.0 g (132.10 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous and folivorous; eats fruits, berries, leaves, and buds in Central American forest edges and … | Eats large seeds, fruits, and invertebrates in Peruvian foothill forests. Critically endangered; diet poorly documented. |
| Clutch Size | 3 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Produces a loud, raucous cha-cha-lac chorus at dawn; individual notes are hoarser and lower than Plain Chachalaca. Groups call antiphonally from treetops in Central American forest edge.
Sira Curassow
Produces a deep, resonant booming call. Critically Endangered; calls are essentially unknown in the wild; captive birds give deep, resonant booming typical of Pauxi curassows.
Geographic Range & Migration
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Resident from Honduras south through Central America to Panama and northwestern Colombia. Found in humid forest and dense vegetation.
Sira Curassow
Endemic to the Sira Cordillera of central Peru in Ucayali and Huánuco at 600-1,400 m. Found in humid foothill forest. Critically endangered.
Conservation Status
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Sira Curassow
How to Tell Them Apart
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Olive-brown body; head and neck distinctly grey contrasting with brownish back; bare reddish throat skin; underparts pale buff-grey; tail graduated, brown with paler tips on outer feathers.
Sira Curassow
Glossy black overall; white lower belly; pale blue-grey conical casque on forehead similar to Horned Curassow; red bill and red legs. Extremely rare and poorly known; casque shape and large …
About These Birds
Grey-headed Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~565 g) of family Cracidae, with a distinctive grey head and olive-brown body. Inhabits humid tropical forests, forest edges, and scrublands from Honduras south to northwestern Colombia. Forages in groups for fruits, berries, leaves, and insects in the understory and canopy. Least Concern; common throughout its range in Central American lowlands.
Sira Curassow
A large cracid (~3.7 kg) of family Cracidae, with a stout turquoise casque and black-and-white plumage. Restricted to the Sira mountains of central Peru. Inhabits humid montane and foothill forests at 600–1,600 m elevation. Forages on the forest floor for fruits and seeds. Critically Endangered with an extremely small range; threatened by logging, agricultural conversion, and hunting.