Rufous-headed Chachalaca vs Red-throated Piping-guan
Ortalis erythroptera compared with Pipile cujubi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-headed Chachalaca | Red-throated Piping-guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis erythroptera | Pipile cujubi |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) | 69.6 cm (27.4 in) |
| Weight | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) | 1200.0 g (42.33 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 forests. Forages in canopy; diet similar to … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Rufous-headed Chachalaca only
Red-throated Piping-guan only
None
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.
Red-throated Piping-guan
Emits loud, piping calls and strong wing-whirring displays. Vulnerable; the resonant piping call echoes through southwestern Amazonian forest; wing-whirring display is diagnostic.
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.
Red-throated Piping-guan
Resident in the Amazon Basin from Venezuela and Colombia south to Bolivia and Brazil, north of the Amazon. Found in lowland forest.
Conservation Status
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Red-throated Piping-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.
Red-throated Piping-guan
Glossy black overall; white wing patches; bare red throat skin and wattle distinguishing it from blue-wattled relatives; white forehead and crest; white neck spotting; red facial skin is distinctive.
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.
Red-throated Piping-guan
A large cracid (~1.2 kg) of family Cracidae, with a red-and-white throat wattle and white wing patches. Found in lowland Amazon rainforest in central and eastern Brazil, and parts of Bolivia and Peru. Arboreal frugivore, foraging in the forest canopy. Vulnerable due to ongoing deforestation and intensive hunting throughout its Amazonian range.