Rufous-headed Chachalaca vs Bearded Guan
Ortalis erythroptera compared with Penelope barbata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-headed Chachalaca | Bearded Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis erythroptera | Penelope barbata |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Near Threatened |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) | 48.4 cm (19.1 in) |
| Weight | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) | 822.8 g (29.02 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Pacific slope forests and forest edges of … | Eats fruits, berries, seeds, leaves, and flowers in Andean cloud forests of Ecuador and Peru. … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | 2 |
| 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.
Bearded Guan
Emits a loud, deep honking cackle and produces wing-whirring in display. Calls are resonant; the wing-whirr display is loud and penetrating in Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forest.
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.
Bearded Guan
Resident in the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern Peru at 1,800-3,400 m. Found in humid montane forest.
Conservation Status
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Bearded Guan
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.
Bearded Guan
Dark olive-brown above; throat with bare red skin and feathered lower edge resembling beard; neck and breast finely streaked white on dark brown; lower belly rufous-chestnut; tail dark brown.
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.
Bearded Guan
A medium-sized cracid (~820 g) of family Cracidae, with a small red-wattled throat pouch. Inhabits montane cloud forests in the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern Peru at 1,500–3,000 m elevation. Feeds arboreally on fruits, seeds, and buds. Near Threatened due to ongoing deforestation and hunting; dependent on intact Andean cloud forest which continues to be cleared.