Rufous-bellied Chachalaca vs Red-faced Guan
Ortalis wagleri compared with Penelope dabbenei
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Rufous-bellied Chachalaca | Red-faced Guan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ortalis wagleri | Penelope dabbenei |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 48.3 cm (19.0 in) | 56.7 cm (22.3 in) |
| Weight | 834.0 g (29.42 oz) | 1230.0 g (43.39 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on fruits, berries, seeds, leaves, and small invertebrates in Mexican thorn scrub and deciduous … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in Andean foothills forests of Bolivia and northwestern … |
| Clutch Size | 3 | 3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
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.
Red-faced Guan
Produces a loud, resonant honking cackle and wing-whirring display. Calls carry through Bolivian and Argentinian Yungas cloud forest; wing-whirring is a diagnostic display.
Geographic Range & Migration
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Endemic to the Pacific coast of western Mexico from Sinaloa to Colima. Found in tropical dry forest and thorn scrub.
Red-faced Guan
Resident in the foothills and mountains of northwestern Argentina and adjacent Bolivia at 500-1,800 m. Found in humid Yungas forest.
Conservation Status
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Red-faced Guan
How to Tell Them Apart
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.
Red-faced Guan
Dark brownish-olive; extensive bare bright red facial skin from lores to ear-coverts (larger than other guans); throat red-wattled; breast finely streaked white; lower belly rufous; tail dark.
About These Birds
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.
Red-faced Guan
A large cracid (~1.2 kg) of family Cracidae, with distinctive red bare facial skin. Inhabits montane humid forests of the eastern Andes in Bolivia and northwestern Argentina at 900–2,500 m elevation. Arboreal, foraging for fruits, seeds, and buds in the forest canopy. Least Concern; relatively restricted range in the Yungas forest zone but not considered under immediate threat.