Black Curassow vs West Mexican Chachalaca
Crax alector comparé à Ortalis poliocephala
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | Black Curassow | West Mexican Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Crax alector | Ortalis poliocephala |
| Ordre | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Famille | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | — | — |
| Envergure | 79,0 cm (31.1 in) | 52,0 cm (20.5 in) |
| Poids | 3106,25 g (109.57 oz) | 760,0 g (26.81 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | Frugivorous; eats large fallen fruits, seeds, and invertebrates on forest floor of Amazonian and Guianan … | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, seeds, and leaves in West Mexican scrub and forest edges. Also … |
| Taille de la couvée | 2-3 | 2-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Black Curassow
Produces a deep, resonant booming call and guttural contact notes. The male's powerful boom echoes through Amazonian and Guyanan lowland forest at dawn.
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.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black Curassow
Resident in the Guiana region from Venezuela and the Guianas south into northern Brazil. Found in lowland terra firme rainforest.
West Mexican Chachalaca
Endemic to the Pacific coast of Mexico from Sonora south to Jalisco. Found in tropical dry forest and thorn scrub.
Statut de conservation
Black Curassow
West Mexican Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Black Curassow
Male is entirely glossy black except for white lower belly and undertail; curly black crest; pale bluish-white knob at bill base; no yellow tones. Female dark brownish-black, faintly barred, with …
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 …
About These Birds
Black Curassow
A large cracid (~3.1 kg) of family Cracidae, males glossy black with a pale bill and curly frontal crest. Inhabits humid lowland forests in the Guianas, Venezuela, and northern Brazil. Forages on the forest floor and in the lower canopy for fruits, seeds, and invertebrates. Least Concern; relatively widespread in the Guiana region's large intact forest tracts.
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.