Bird Guide

Rufous-vented Chachalaca vs Speckled Chachalaca

Rufous-vented Chachalaca (Ortalis ruficauda)

Rufous-vented Chachalaca

Ortalis ruficauda

Large586 gWoodland

These are medium-sized birds, similar in general appearance to turkeys, with small heads, long strong legs and a long broad tail. They are typically 53–58 cm long; the female weighs 540g and the larger male 640g. They have fairly dull plumage, dark brown above and paler below. The head is grey, and the brown tail is tipped rufous or white depending on race. Voice: As other chachalacas, the rufous-vented chachalaca is a very noisy species, preferring to execute their vocal feats at dawn. The male's call is a loud low ka-ka-rooki-rooki-ka, answered by the female's high-pitched watch-a-lak, which they often repeat several times in a row, in precise synchronization.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Aitor · CC BY 4.0
Speckled Chachalaca (Ortalis guttata)

Speckled Chachalaca

Ortalis guttata

Large548 gShrubland

The speckled chachalaca is 49 to 55 cm (1.6 to 1.8 ft) long. The nominate subspecies is mostly brown above with a darker and grayer head and neck. The mantle has a chestnut wash; the tail has a bronze gloss and the outer feathers are rufous. The throat and breast are dark brown with the eponymous white speckles. The lower breast and belly are light grayish brown and the vent bright rufous. The eye is dark brown to dark reddish brown and is surrounded by bare slate blue skin. O. g. Voice: The song of the nominate speckled chachalaca is a "rhythmic five-syllable phrase rendered ha-ga-GAA-gogok, repeated rapidly." Those of the other subspecies are similar.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Speckled Chachalaca
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Zamora-Chinchipe: SE Zumba: turnoff to Chito on La Chonta - El Chorro road, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Joao Quental · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Rufous-vented Chachalaca and Speckled Chachalaca.