Speckled Chachalaca vs Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Ortalis guttata compared with Ortalis wagleri
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Speckled Chachalaca | Rufous-bellied Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis guttata | Ortalis wagleri |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 38.5 cm (15.2 in) | 48.3 cm (19.0 in) |
| Weight | 502.25 g (17.72 oz) | 834.0 g (29.42 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Amazonian forest edges and gallery forest. Also takes … | Feeds on fruits, berries, seeds, leaves, and small invertebrates in Mexican thorn scrub and deciduous … |
| Clutch Size | 3-4 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Speckled Chachalaca
Produces a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual calls have a slightly lower, coarser quality. Dawn choruses carry across Amazonian and Cerrado forest edge at sunrise.
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Produces a loud, deep raucous chorus; the lowest-pitched Ortalis chachalaca call. The deep, resonant cha-cha-LAC booms across Mexican Pacific slope deciduous forest at dawn.
Geographic Range & Migration
Speckled Chachalaca
Resident in the Amazon Basin from eastern Peru and Ecuador east to Brazil and the Guianas. Found in lowland rainforest.
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Endemic to the Pacific coast of western Mexico from Sinaloa to Colima. Found in tropical dry forest and thorn scrub.
Conservation Status
Speckled Chachalaca
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Speckled Chachalaca
Olive-brown upperparts with fine pale buff speckling on breast and foreneck; grey head; bare reddish throat; lower underparts pale buff; tail dark brown with whitish outer tips.
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Olive-brown above; head grey with bare reddish throat; underparts strongly washed rufous-buff becoming deep rufous on belly and flanks; graduated tail dark brown with pale-tipped outer feathers.
About These Birds
Speckled Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~500 g) of family Cracidae, with finely speckled neck and breast feathers. Inhabits forest edges, scrubby second growth, and riverine thickets across Amazonian South America. Social and highly vocal, foraging in groups for fruits, berries, and seeds in the understory and lower canopy. Least Concern; widespread and common across Amazonia.
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
A larger chachalaca (~834 g) of family Cracidae, with a rufous wash on the underparts. Endemic to the Pacific slope of northwestern Mexico, from Sonora to Jalisco. Inhabits tropical dry forest, thorn scrub, and deciduous woodland. Forages in groups on fruits, seeds, and insects. Least Concern; range restricted to the Mexican Pacific coast but populations remain stable.