Rufous-headed Chachalaca vs Rusty-margined Guan
Ortalis erythroptera compared with Penelope superciliaris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-headed Chachalaca | Rusty-margined Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis erythroptera | Penelope superciliaris |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Near Threatened |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) | 49.7 cm (19.6 in) |
| Weight | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) | 950.0 g (33.51 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Pacific slope forests and forest edges of … | Eats fruits, berries, seeds, leaves, and small invertebrates in South American Atlantic and Cerrado forest … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Rufous-headed Chachalaca only
None
Rusty-margined 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.
Rusty-margined Guan
Emits a loud, resonant honking cackle and loud wing-whirring. Calls are similar to Spix's Guan; the wing-whirr display is standard for the genus in South American 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.
Rusty-margined Guan
Resident in Brazil from Bahia south to Rio Grande do Sul and in adjacent Paraguay and Argentina. Found in Atlantic Forest and gallery woodland.
Conservation Status
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Rusty-margined 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.
Rusty-margined Guan
Dark brown above; prominent pale buff-white supercilium; bare red throat; breast streaked white; wing coverts and secondaries edged rusty-rufous; lower belly rufous-chestnut; tail dark.
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.
Rusty-margined Guan
A medium-sized cracid (~950 g) of family Cracidae, with rusty-brown wing margins and a red wattle. Inhabits Atlantic Forest, cerrado woodland edges, and humid forests in eastern and central Brazil and bordering countries. Feeds on fruits, leaves, and seeds in forest canopy. Near Threatened due to Atlantic Forest loss and hunting; one of the most common guans in its range.