Rufous-headed Chachalaca vs Dusky-legged Guan
Ortalis erythroptera compared with Penelope obscura
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-headed Chachalaca | Dusky-legged Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis erythroptera | Penelope obscura |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) | 61.9 cm (24.4 in) |
| Weight | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) | 1530.0 g (53.97 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 South American Atlantic forest and Araucaria forest. … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | 2-4 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Rufous-headed Chachalaca only
Dusky-legged Guan only
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.
Dusky-legged Guan
Emits a loud, resonant honking cackle and strong wing-whirring display. The deep, carrying call echoes through southern South American subtropical and humid 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.
Dusky-legged Guan
Resident in southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. Found in Atlantic Forest and gallery woodland.
Conservation Status
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Dusky-legged 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.
Dusky-legged Guan
Dark brownish-olive above; dark grey legs; bare red throat wattle; neck and breast streaked pale; lower underparts rufous-chestnut; tail dark. Dusky legs distinguish it from similar Spix's Guan.
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.
Dusky-legged Guan
A large cracid (~1.5 kg) of family Cracidae, with dark legs, olive-brown plumage, and a red wattle. Found in Atlantic Forest and subtropical forests of southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, and Uruguay. Arboreal frugivore. Least Concern; one of the most common guans in southeastern South America and increasingly tolerant of forest fragments.