Grey-headed Chachalaca vs Trinidad Piping-guan
Ortalis cinereiceps compared with Pipile pipile
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Grey-headed Chachalaca | Trinidad Piping-guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis cinereiceps | Pipile pipile |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Critically Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 41.1 cm (16.2 in) | 66.2 cm (26.1 in) |
| Weight | 566.5 g (19.98 oz) | 2150.0 g (75.84 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 Trinidadian forests. Critically endangered; forages in canopy. |
| 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.
Trinidad Piping-guan
Produces loud, resonant piping calls and strong wing-whirring displays. Critically endangered; calls carry through remnant Trinidad rainforest; the loudest vocalizations of any Pipile piping-guan.
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.
Trinidad Piping-guan
Endemic to the island of Trinidad (not Tobago). Found in lowland rainforest remnants. Critically endangered.
Conservation Status
Grey-headed Chachalaca
Trinidad Piping-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.
Trinidad Piping-guan
Glossy black overall; large white wing patches; bare blue facial skin and pendulous blue-and-white wattle; white crest; white streaking on neck. Spectacular ornamental facial features.
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.
Trinidad Piping-guan
A large cracid (~2.2 kg) of family Cracidae, with bold white wing patches and a blue-and-white facial wattle. Endemic to the island of Trinidad; the only Pipile species in the Caribbean. Inhabits primary and mature secondary rainforest. Feeds on fruits and seeds in the canopy. Critically Endangered; one of the world's rarest birds, with fewer than 200 individuals surviving.