Grey-headed Chachalaca vs Spix's Guan
Ortalis cinereiceps compared with Penelope jacquacu
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Grey-headed Chachalaca | Spix's Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis cinereiceps | Penelope jacquacu |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 41.1 cm (16.2 in) | 59.3 cm (23.3 in) |
| Weight | 566.5 g (19.98 oz) | 1469.5 g (51.84 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 Amazonian lowland forests. Forages in canopy and … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | 2-3 |
| 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.
Spix's Guan
Produces a loud, resonant honking cackle; wing-whirring display is vigorous. Calls are deeper and louder than smaller guans; echoes through Amazonian terra firme canopy.
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.
Spix's Guan
Resident in the Amazon Basin from Colombia and Venezuela south to Bolivia and Brazil. Found in lowland rainforest, especially along rivers.
Conservation Status
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Spix's 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.
Spix's Guan
Predominantly dark olive-brown; bare reddish throat wattle; neck and breast streaked white; lower belly and flanks rufous; wing coverts with fine pale edging; tail long, dark brown.
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.
Spix's Guan
A large cracid (~1.5 kg) of family Cracidae, with olive-brown plumage and a red wattle. Inhabits lowland tropical rainforests across Amazonia in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, and Venezuela. Arboreal, feeding heavily on fruits, seeds, and leaves in the canopy. Least Concern; widespread and relatively common in undisturbed Amazonian forest.