Grey-headed Chachalaca vs Chestnut-bellied Guan
Ortalis cinereiceps compared with Penelope ochrogaster
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Grey-headed Chachalaca | Chestnut-bellied Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis cinereiceps | Penelope ochrogaster |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 41.1 cm (16.2 in) | 64.1 cm (25.2 in) |
| Weight | 566.5 g (19.98 oz) | 1214.5 g (42.84 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 Brazilian Cerrado and gallery forests. Vulnerable species. |
| Clutch Size | 3 | 2 |
| 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.
Chestnut-bellied Guan
Produces a loud, resonant honking cackle and wing-whirring display flights. Calls carry through Brazilian interior forest; classified Vulnerable due to habitat loss.
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.
Chestnut-bellied Guan
Endemic to central Brazil in the cerrado of Goiás and Mato Grosso. Found in dry forest and cerrado woodland near gallery forest.
Conservation Status
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Chestnut-bellied 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.
Chestnut-bellied Guan
Dark brownish-black above; bare red throat wattle; neck and breast streaked white on dark; belly and flanks rich uniform chestnut-orange, more saturated than most Penelope guans; tail dark.
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.
Chestnut-bellied Guan
A large cracid (~1.2 kg) of family Cracidae, with rich chestnut-colored belly and red throat wattle. Endemic to the cerrado and transitional forests of central Brazil. Inhabits gallery forests, cerrado woodland, and humid forest patches. Feeds on fruits and seeds. Vulnerable due to massive cerrado deforestation; restricted to increasingly fragmented habitats in the Brazilian interior.