Rufous-vented Chachalaca vs Cauca Guan
Ortalis ruficauda compared with Penelope perspicax
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-vented Chachalaca | Cauca Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis ruficauda | Penelope perspicax |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 44.0 cm (17.3 in) | 65.0 cm (25.6 in) |
| Weight | 604.4 g (21.32 oz) | 1197.0 g (42.22 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fruits, berries, leaves, flowers, and small insects in Venezuelan forest edges, scrub, and coastal … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, and leaves in Colombian Cauca Valley forests. Critically endangered with very … |
| Clutch Size | 3-4 | 2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Produces a loud, raucous chachalaca chorus; individual notes are slightly harsher than Plain Chachalaca. Dawn choruses ring across Venezuelan and Trinidadian dry forest and forest edge.
Cauca Guan
Produces a loud, honking cackle and powerful wing-whirring display. Critically endangered; calls carry across Colombian Cauca Valley forest fragments; wing-whirr is diagnostic.
Geographic Range & Migration
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Resident in northern Venezuela and Trinidad. Found in dry forest, scrub, and woodland edges in lowland areas.
Cauca Guan
Endemic to the Cauca Valley of Colombia. Found in humid forest remnants at 1,000-2,000 m. Critically endangered.
Conservation Status
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Cauca Guan
How to Tell Them Apart
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
Olive-brown above; grey head; bare reddish throat; underparts buff-grey grading to rich rufous-cinnamon on vent and undertail coverts; tail dark brown with buff-tipped outer feathers.
Cauca Guan
Dark brownish-black above; neck and breast streaked white; bare red throat skin; lower underparts deep rufous-chestnut; back faintly glossed; tail dark brown. White streaking is bolder than in most Penelope …
About These Birds
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~605 g) of family Cracidae, with rufous undertail coverts and a bare red throat. Found in forest edges, thorn scrub, and deciduous woodland in Venezuela and Trinidad. Forages in groups for fruits, seeds, and leaves. Least Concern; a familiar bird in Venezuela, adapted to disturbed habitats and gardens as well as natural scrublands.
Cauca Guan
A medium-large cracid (~1.2 kg) of family Cracidae, with olive-brown plumage and a red throat wattle. Endemic to the upper Cauca Valley of Colombia at 1,200–2,400 m elevation. Inhabits remnant humid Andean forests. Arboreal, feeding on fruits and seeds. Vulnerable due to severe deforestation in one of Colombia's most densely populated valleys and ongoing hunting pressure.