Rufous-headed Chachalaca vs Blue-throated Piping-guan
Ortalis erythroptera compared with Pipile cumanensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-headed Chachalaca | Blue-throated Piping-guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis erythroptera | Pipile cumanensis |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) | 66.9 cm (26.3 in) |
| Weight | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) | 1228.0 g (43.32 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 Amazonian and Orinoco basin forests. Forages in … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | 1-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Rufous-headed Chachalaca only
None
Blue-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.
Blue-throated Piping-guan
Emits loud, resonant piping calls and wing-whirring displays. The ringing, piping calls carry through Amazonian lowland forest; wing-whirr is powerful and audible from a distance.
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.
Blue-throated Piping-guan
Resident in the Amazon Basin from Venezuela and Colombia south to Bolivia and Brazil. Found in lowland and foothill rainforest near rivers.
Conservation Status
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Blue-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.
Blue-throated Piping-guan
Glossy black; large white wing patch; bare bright blue throat skin and wattle; white forehead and crest; white flecking on neck and mantle. Blue throat skin distinguishes from White-throated Piping-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.
Blue-throated Piping-guan
A large cracid (~1.2 kg) of family Cracidae, with white wing markings and a bright blue throat wattle. Inhabits humid lowland and foothill forests across northern South America, from Colombia and Venezuela south through Amazonia to Bolivia. Arboreal, feeding on fruits and seeds. Least Concern; widespread in Amazonian forests with relatively stable populations in undisturbed areas.