Chacalacas

Almost always heard before it is seen, chacalacas, the Plain Chachalaca is sort of a chacalacas, tropical chicken that lives in the treetops, chacalacas. These sandy brown and gray birds walk along tree branches to eat flowers, buds, fruits, and insects. Though their plumage is subtle, their raucous, rhythmic morning chorus is anything but—a classic sound of the Tamaulipan brushlands that livens up any outing. These birds perch and forage high in bushes and small trees, so look chacalacas to find them.

Chachalacas are galliform birds from the genus Ortalis. They are social, can be very noisy and often remain fairly common even near humans, as their relatively small size makes them less desirable to hunters than their larger relatives. As agricultural pests, they have a ravenous appetite for tomatoes, melons, beans, and radishes and can ravage a small garden in short order. They travel in packs of six to twelve. The genus Ortalis was introduced as Ortalida by the German naturalist Blasius Merrem in with the little chachalaca Ortalis motmot as the type species. All these words likely arose as an onomatopoeia for the four-noted cackle of the plain chachalaca O. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data tentatively suggest that the chachalacas emerged as a distinct lineage during the Oligocene , somewhere around 40—20 mya , possibly being the first lineage of modern cracids to evolve; this does agree with the known fossil record — including indeterminate, cracid-like birds — which very cautiously favors a north-to-south expansion of the family.

Chacalacas

Large, often arboreal chickenlike bird with a small head and a long tail tipped in white. Brownish gray above with a buffy belly. Large chickenlike bird with a small head and a long tail. Often climbs trees. Large, chickenlike bird with a small head and a long tail tipped in white. Often shy in areas where they are hunted, but in other areas they readily accept food and water from humans. This video has no audio. A large chickenlike bird with a fairly long neck, a small head, and a short bill. It has a long, rounded tail, and long legs. Forages in small family groups by hopping around in trees, nimbly reaching berries, buds, flowers, and insects by stretching out body and neck, often perched precariously on thin branches, even upside down. Pairs give a rousing, call-and-response chorus in the morning and evening, audible at great distance. Ornithologists recognize four subspecies, of which just one mccalli occurs in the United States. The other three, vetula , pallidiventris , and deschauenseei , are distributed from Mexico south to Honduras. These four subspecies differ only slightly in plumage tones.

Rufous-vented chachalaca.

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The plain chachalaca Ortalis vetula is a large bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow family Cracidae. It breeds in tropical and subtropical environments from mezquital thickets in the Rio Grande Valley in southernmost Texas, United States to northernmost Costa Rica. In Central America, this species occurs in the Pacific lowlands from Chiapas , Mexico to northern Nicaragua and as a separate population in Costa Rica, where its range is separated by a short distance, as a disjunct population. This species frequents dry and moist forests , especially where interspersed with scrub and savanna. Usually found in groups of up to 15 birds, the plain chachalaca is furtive and wary and prefers to escape from danger by running swiftly on the ground or leaping and gliding through brushy tangles. The plain chachalaca feeds in trees or on the ground on fruit figs , palms , Sapotaceae , seeds , leaves , and flowers. It is sometimes a pest of crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers. The call is a loud, raucous RAW-pa-haw or cha-cha-LAW-ka , often by several birds in a rhythmical chorus, especially in early morning and evening, usually from well up in trees.

Chacalacas

Sign in to see your badges. Noisy, long-tailed game bird of tropical forest and edge, usually found in small groups. Most often detected by its raucous song, which carries well.

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The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. Skip to main content. The Plain Chachalaca is the only member of the family of guans, curassows, and chachalacas to reach the United States. Data related to Ortalis at Wikispecies. Although most birds in the Galliformes—such as quail, grouse, turkeys, and pheasants—are ground dwellers, Plain Chachalacas are at home in trees. These birds perch and forage high in bushes and small trees, so look up to find them. Heralds of Spring in Texas. Paraortyx Pirortyx Scopelortyx Xorazmortyx. Try Merlin. International Ornithologists' Union.

Almost always heard before it is seen, the Plain Chachalaca is sort of a long-tailed, tropical chicken that lives in the treetops. These sandy brown and gray birds walk along tree branches to eat flowers, buds, fruits, and insects. Though their plumage is subtle, their raucous, rhythmic morning chorus is anything but—a classic sound of the Tamaulipan brushlands that livens up any outing.

For the Veracruz town, see Playa Chachalacas. Coffin introduced a breeding population of chachalacas to Sapelo Island , and this breeding population still exists. Plain Chachalacas may visit feeding stations if seed, especially milo or cracked corn, is placed on the ground. Chachalacas also call when a storm is approaching or there is some other change in the weather. Article Talk. The family contains approximately 50 species, ranging from Mexico to southern South America, many of which are endangered because of hunting. Need Bird ID Help? Adults Call is a very loud, raucous, repeated "chac-a-lak. Our free app offers quick ID help with global coverage. Often shy in areas where they are hunted, but in other areas they readily accept food and water from humans. Gallinuloides Paraortygoides. Adult Largely arboreal chickenlike bird that walks or runs along larger tree limbs. Large, chickenlike bird with a small head and a long tail tipped in white. Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Ex Bibliopolio Io.