Unique among Ortalis, it has a prominent supercilium that can be any color from buffy white to pale cinnamon.

[4] The buff-browed chachalaca is found in northeastern Brazil south of the Amazon River in parts of the states of Pará, Maranhão, Ceará, Tocantins, and Piauí.

It is a bird of the lowlands, inhabiting scrublands and forest thickets including those in heavily degraded areas.

[4] No formal study of the buff-browed chachalaca's diet has been published, but it has been observed eating palm fruits and some flowers.

[1] "Threats [are] listed as habitat destruction and fragmentation, heavy hunting pressure and trade, all of which suggest that it is declining.