Rufous-headed Chachalaca vs White-throated Piping-guan
Ortalis erythroptera compared with Pipile grayi
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-headed Chachalaca | White-throated Piping-guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis erythroptera | Pipile grayi |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Near Threatened |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 43.8 cm (17.2 in) | 65.3 cm (25.7 in) |
| Weight | 632.5 g (22.31 oz) | 1239.0 g (43.70 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Pacific slope forests and forest edges of … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in South American lowland forests east of the … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Rufous-headed Chachalaca only
White-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.
White-throated Piping-guan
Produces loud, resonant piping calls and wing-whirring displays. Near Threatened; the clear, carrying piping call echoes through Bolivian and Brazilian Amazonian 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.
White-throated Piping-guan
Resident in the Amazon Basin of Bolivia and Brazil, south of the Amazon River. Found in lowland rainforest.
Conservation Status
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
White-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.
White-throated Piping-guan
Glossy black body; large white wing patches; pale blue-white bare facial skin; pendulous wattle pale blue-white; white crest and white spotting on neck; throat area paler than Blue-throated relative.
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.
White-throated Piping-guan
A large cracid (~1.2 kg) of family Cracidae, with a white throat wattle and striking white wing patches. Found in humid lowland forests of Bolivia and western Mato Grosso, Brazil. Inhabits terra firme and seasonally flooded Amazonian forest. Feeds on fruits and seeds in the forest canopy. Near Threatened due to deforestation and hunting in southwestern Amazonia.