Grey-headed Chachalaca vs Highland Guan
Ortalis cinereiceps compared with Penelopina nigra
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Grey-headed Chachalaca | Highland Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis cinereiceps | Penelopina nigra |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 41.1 cm (16.2 in) | 47.9 cm (18.9 in) |
| Weight | 566.5 g (19.98 oz) | 890.0 g (31.39 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous and folivorous; eats fruits, berries, leaves, and buds in Central American forest edges and … | Eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Central American highland forests. Forages in forest mid-storey … |
| 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.
Highland Guan
Produces a loud, resonant cackling call and wing-whirring display. The male's calls carry through Central American cloud forest; wing-whirring display is a key feature of this highland cracid.
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.
Highland Guan
Resident in the highlands of Mexico and Central America from Chiapas south to Nicaragua at 1,200-3,000 m. Found in cloud forest and pine-oak woodland.
Conservation Status
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Highland 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.
Highland Guan
Strongly dimorphic: male is entirely glossy black with bare red facial skin and red legs; female is dark brown heavily barred and streaked with black, with bare red facial skin.
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.
Highland Guan
A medium-sized cracid (~890 g) of family Cracidae, sexually dimorphic—males glossy black with red wattle, females brown. Inhabits cloud forests and humid montane forests in the highlands of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Arboreal frugivore. Vulnerable due to deforestation and hunting in the fragmented highlands of Mesoamerica.