West Mexican Chachalaca vs Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Ortalis poliocephala compared with Ortalis wagleri
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | West Mexican Chachalaca | Rufous-bellied Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis poliocephala | Ortalis wagleri |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 52.0 cm (20.5 in) | 48.3 cm (19.0 in) |
| Weight | 760.0 g (26.81 oz) | 834.0 g (29.42 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in West Mexican scrub and forest edges. Also … | Feeds on fruits, berries, seeds, leaves, and small invertebrates in Mexican thorn scrub and deciduous … |
| Clutch Size | 2-3 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
West Mexican Chachalaca only
None
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca only
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-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
West Mexican Chachalaca
Endemic to the Pacific coast of Mexico from Sonora south to Jalisco. Found in tropical dry forest and thorn scrub.
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
West Mexican Chachalaca
Rufous-bellied 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-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
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-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.