Chestnut-winged Chachalaca

Overview

The chestnut-winged chachalaca (Ortalis garrula) is a bird species in the family Cracidae, endemic to northern Colombia. It is assessed as being of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is considered reasonably common within its range.

Identification

• Length ranges from 53 to 60 cm (1.7 to 2.0 ft), with males weighing up to 755 g and females up to 630 g.
• Brown upperparts that are lighter on the crown and nape, contrasting with a dark gray-brown tail featuring a white tip.
• Brown throat and upper breast sharply demarcated from white lower breast, flanks, and belly, with bright chestnut primary flight feathers.
• A bare reddish to black skin ring surrounds the eye.
• A duet vocalisation rendered as "wha-cha-rá" that carries a great distance.

Habitat

Found in northern Colombia, bounded by the Sinú River, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and the lower Cauca and Magdalena River valleys. It inhabits thick vegetation such as scrubby deciduous forest, arid scrub, tropical thickets, and mangroves, while shunning the interior of dense forests and deforested areas. Its elevation range extends from sea level to approximately 800 m (2,600 ft).

Diet

Forages in groups of up to eight, generally in trees but sometimes on the ground. The diet consists of both fruits and leaves, with fruits consumed more during the rainy season and leaves during the dry season. It is notably quiet while gleaning compared to other chachalaca species.

Did you know?

The species was at one time treated as conspecific with the grey-headed chachalaca but is now recognised as a distinct monotypic species. It breeds during the dry season between January and April, laying up to four eggs on a simple platform nest placed in a tree.