West Mexican Chachalaca vs Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Ortalis poliocephala compared with Ortalis ruficeps
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | West Mexican Chachalaca | Rufous-headed Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis poliocephala | Ortalis ruficeps |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Not Evaluated |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 52.0 cm (20.5 in) | — |
| Weight | 760.0 g (26.81 oz) | 495.0 g (17.46 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in West Mexican scrub and forest edges. Also … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in northeastern Brazilian caatinga and forest edges. |
| Clutch Size | 2-3 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
West Mexican Chachalaca
Emits a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual calls are slightly lower than Plain Chachalaca. Dawn choruses boom across Mexico's Pacific slope thornscrub and tropical dry forest.
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Emits a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual calls are slightly raspy. Dawn choruses ring across Brazilian interior forest and cerrado; recently described species.
Geographic Range & Migration
West Mexican Chachalaca
Endemic to the Pacific coast of Mexico from Sonora south to Jalisco. Found in tropical dry forest and thorn scrub.
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Resident in northeastern Brazil from Maranhão to Bahia. Found in caatinga dry scrub and transitional forest.
Conservation Status
West Mexican Chachalaca
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
West Mexican Chachalaca
Olive-brown above with greyish head; bare reddish throat skin; underparts pale grey with buff-olive flanks; tail long and dark brown with white tips on outer feathers. Overall paler than eastern …
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
Olive-brown body; crown and nape washed rufous-cinnamon; bare pink throat skin; underparts pale grey-buff; tail dark brownish with buff outer-feather tips. Similar to O. erythroptera but head less intensely rufous.
About These Birds
West Mexican Chachalaca
A large chachalaca (~760 g) of family Cracidae, with a grey head and brownish body. Endemic to Mexico, inhabiting tropical dry and semi-deciduous forests of the Pacific coast from Jalisco to Oaxaca. Forages in groups for fruits, leaves, and seeds in forest canopy and understory. Least Concern; well adapted to secondary growth and forest edges throughout its restricted Mexican range.
Rufous-headed Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~495 g) of family Cracidae, with a rufous crown and head. Endemic to northeastern Brazil, primarily found in caatinga scrubland and dry forest habitats. Forages on fruits and vegetation in small groups. Not Evaluated by IUCN; taxonomy is debated as it may represent a subspecies or synonym of related chachalaca taxa. Little studied in the wild.