Grey-headed Chachalaca vs Yungas Guan
Ortalis cinereiceps compared with Penelope bridgesi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Grey-headed Chachalaca | Yungas Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis cinereiceps | Penelope bridgesi |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 41.1 cm (16.2 in) | — |
| Weight | 566.5 g (19.98 oz) | 1770.0 g (62.43 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous and folivorous; eats fruits, berries, leaves, and buds in Central American forest edges and … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Bolivian and Argentine Yungas cloud forests. Diet … |
| 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.
Yungas Guan
Produces a loud, resonant honking cackle and wing-whirring display. Calls typical of the Penelope group; recently split from Dusky-legged Guan; found in Bolivian Yungas cloud forest.
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.
Yungas Guan
Resident in the Yungas forests of Bolivia and northwestern Argentina at 1,000-2,500 m. Found in humid subtropical and cloud forest.
Conservation Status
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Yungas Guan
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.
Yungas Guan
Dark olive-brown overall; bare reddish throat wattle; neck and breast streaked whitish; lower belly rufous-chestnut; wings without white patch; legs dusky-grey. Very similar to Dusky-legged Guan.
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.
Yungas Guan
A large cracid (~1.8 kg) of family Cracidae, inhabiting the Yungas humid montane forests of Bolivia and Argentina. Closely related to Dusky-legged Guan and sometimes treated as a subspecies. Arboreal, feeding on fruits and seeds in cloud forest at 500–2,000 m elevation. Not Evaluated independently by IUCN; taxonomy under review, with population status unclear due to limited survey data.