White-bellied Chachalaca

Overview

The white-bellied chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN and is monotypic, having formerly been considered a subspecies of the plain chachalaca.

Identification

• Length ranges from 43 to 50 cm with a weight between 439 and 560 g.
• Plumage features a brown head, upperparts, and breast, contrasting with a dull white belly and a brown tail tipped with white.
• Bare dark slate facial skin surrounds the eye.
• The principal vocalization is described as a gruff, burry chattering of four syllables, sounding like 'k-ku’uh-uh' or 'ch-k-uh-urr'.

Habitat

Found from southeastern Chiapas in extreme southwestern Mexico through southern Guatemala, El Salvador, and southern Honduras into northwestern Nicaragua. It primarily inhabits swamp forest and swamps with thick scrub, but also occurs in dry forest, pasture edges, and mangroves. While most common on the Pacific coastal plain, its range in Guatemala extends as high as 1,500 m.

Diet

This species forages in groups of six or more birds, almost always staying 6 to 10 m up in the vegetation. Its diet consists primarily of berries and fruits, supplemented by leaves, buds, flowers, and invertebrates.

Did you know?

Egg-laying has been recorded in every month from March to July, with nests constructed as small loose platforms of sticks lined with leaves, usually placed in trees between 5 and 20 m high.