Speckled Chachalaca vs Band-tailed Guan
Ortalis guttata compared with Penelope argyrotis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Speckled Chachalaca | Band-tailed Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis guttata | Penelope argyrotis |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 38.5 cm (15.2 in) | 52.8 cm (20.8 in) |
| Weight | 502.25 g (17.72 oz) | 798.0 g (28.15 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Amazonian forest edges and gallery forest. Also takes … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, leaves, flowers, and buds in Andean forests of Venezuela and Colombia. … |
| Clutch Size | 3-4 | -- |
| 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.
Band-tailed Guan
Produces a loud, honking cackle and resonant wing-whirring in display flights. The deep, carrying honk and wing-whirr display is characteristic of this Andean Penelope guan.
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.
Band-tailed Guan
Resident in the Andes and mountains of Colombia and Venezuela from 1,000-2,400 m. Found in humid montane forest.
Conservation Status
Speckled Chachalaca
Band-tailed Guan
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.
Band-tailed Guan
Brownish-black above with fine white streaking on neck and chest; bare red facial skin; lower underparts chestnut; tail broad with distinctive pale grey subterminal band.
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.
Band-tailed Guan
A medium-sized cracid (~800 g) of family Cracidae, with a distinctive pale-tipped tail band. Inhabits montane humid forests in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Andes of Colombia and Venezuela. Arboreal, feeding on fruits, seeds, and buds in the canopy. Least Concern; restricted to Andean cloud forest but common within its range and tolerates some forest disturbance.