Alagoas Curassow vs White-bellied Chachalaca
Mitu mitu compared with Ortalis leucogastra
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Alagoas Curassow | White-bellied Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Mitu mitu | Ortalis leucogastra |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Extinct in the Wild | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 79.2 cm (31.2 in) | 41.7 cm (16.4 in) |
| Weight | 2852.5 g (100.62 oz) | 499.5 g (17.62 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, seeds, and invertebrates in the ground and forest understorey. Extinct in wild; … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Central American forest edges and scrubby second-growth … |
| Clutch Size | 2-3 | 2-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Alagoas Curassow
Extirpated from wild (EW). Calls documented from captive birds: a deep, resonant booming similar to Razor-billed Curassow; flocks give low, guttural clucking contact calls.
White-bellied Chachalaca
Emits a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual call is slightly higher and thinner. Dawn choruses ring across Central American Pacific slope forest and scrub.
Geographic Range & Migration
Alagoas Curassow
Endemic to northeastern Brazil in Alagoas. Extinct in the wild; survives only in captivity. Last wild record was 1980s.
White-bellied Chachalaca
Resident in Central America from Mexico south to Nicaragua. Found in tropical dry and humid forests and forest edges.
Conservation Status
Alagoas Curassow
White-bellied Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Alagoas Curassow
Glossy black body; white lower belly and undertail; massive compressed red bill with orange-yellow tip; no head ornamentation. Now extinct in wild; the large red razor bill was its most …
White-bellied Chachalaca
Olive-brown upperparts; grey head with bare reddish throat; underparts strikingly white-bellied, contrasting sharply with brownish sides; tail dark with white tips on outer feathers.
About These Birds
Alagoas Curassow
A large cracid (~2.9 kg) of family Cracidae, with glossy black plumage and a distinctive red knobbed bill. Extinct in the Wild; the last wild individuals disappeared from Alagoas, Brazil by the 1980s due to deforestation of the Atlantic Forest. A captive population survives in Brazilian zoos, with reintroduction programs underway. One of the most critically imperiled birds globally.
White-bellied Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~500 g) of family Cracidae, distinguished by pale whitish underparts. Found in Pacific lowland forests, scrub, and forest edges from southern Mexico to northwestern Costa Rica. Forages in noisy flocks on fruits, buds, and seeds in the forest canopy and edges. Least Concern; thrives in disturbed habitats and secondary growth across its Central American range.