Rufous-headed Chachalaca vs Sira Curassow
Ortalis erythroptera compared with Pauxi koepckeae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-headed Chachalaca | Sira Curassow |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis erythroptera | Pauxi koepckeae |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Critically Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) | 93.6 cm (36.9 in) |
| Weight | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) | 3745.0 g (132.10 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Pacific slope forests and forest edges of … | Eats large seeds, fruits, and invertebrates in Peruvian foothill forests. Critically endangered; diet poorly documented. |
| Clutch Size | 3 | -- |
| 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.
Sira Curassow
Produces a deep, resonant booming call. Critically Endangered; calls are essentially unknown in the wild; captive birds give deep, resonant booming typical of Pauxi curassows.
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.
Sira Curassow
Endemic to the Sira Cordillera of central Peru in Ucayali and Huánuco at 600-1,400 m. Found in humid foothill forest. Critically endangered.
Conservation Status
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Sira Curassow
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.
Sira Curassow
Glossy black overall; white lower belly; pale blue-grey conical casque on forehead similar to Horned Curassow; red bill and red legs. Extremely rare and poorly known; casque shape and large …
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.
Sira Curassow
A large cracid (~3.7 kg) of family Cracidae, with a stout turquoise casque and black-and-white plumage. Restricted to the Sira mountains of central Peru. Inhabits humid montane and foothill forests at 600–1,600 m elevation. Forages on the forest floor for fruits and seeds. Critically Endangered with an extremely small range; threatened by logging, agricultural conversion, and hunting.