Rufous-headed Chachalaca vs Speckled Chachalaca
Ortalis erythroptera compared with Ortalis guttata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-headed Chachalaca | Speckled Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis erythroptera | Ortalis guttata |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) | 38.5 cm (15.2 in) |
| Weight | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) | 502.25 g (17.72 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Pacific slope forests and forest edges of … | Eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Amazonian forest edges and gallery forest. Also takes … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | 3-4 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Emits a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual calls are slightly higher than Rufous-vented. Dawn choruses carry across Ecuadorian and Peruvian coastal dry forest.
Speckled Chachalaca
Produces a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual calls have a slightly lower, coarser quality. Dawn choruses carry across Amazonian and Cerrado forest edge at sunrise.
Geographic Range & Migration
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Resident in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Found in tropical deciduous forest and scrub in the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena region.
Speckled Chachalaca
Resident in the Amazon Basin from eastern Peru and Ecuador east to Brazil and the Guianas. Found in lowland rainforest.
Conservation Status
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Speckled Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Brownish-olive body; head and upper neck warm rufous-cinnamon, distinctly contrasting with greyish-brown back; bare reddish throat wattle; underparts pale buff; tail dark with pale outer tips.
Speckled Chachalaca
Olive-brown upperparts with fine pale buff speckling on breast and foreneck; grey head; bare reddish throat; lower underparts pale buff; tail dark brown with whitish outer tips.
About These Birds
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~630 g) of family Cracidae, with a striking rufous head. Inhabits humid and deciduous forests, forest edges, and scrub in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Feeds on fruits and leaves in the forest understory and canopy. Vulnerable due to extensive deforestation in the Tumbesian region, one of the world's most threatened biodiversity hotspots.
Speckled Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~500 g) of family Cracidae, with finely speckled neck and breast feathers. Inhabits forest edges, scrubby second growth, and riverine thickets across Amazonian South America. Social and highly vocal, foraging in groups for fruits, berries, and seeds in the understory and lower canopy. Least Concern; widespread and common across Amazonia.