Plain Chachalaca

Overview

The plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) is a large bird belonging to the family Cracidae, which also includes guans and curassows. It is a medium-sized galliform that inhabits a variety of environments across North and Central America, from the southernmost United States to northern Costa Rica.

Identification

• Measures 48–58 cm in length, roughly the size of a common pheasant.
• Features a long neck with a small head and a bare throat patch that turns deep red during the breeding season.
• Adults display a greyish head and neck with a dull olive-brown body, while the tail is blackish with a green gloss and buffy-white tip.
• Produces a loud, raucous 'cha-cha-LAW-ka' call, often in a rhythmical chorus from high in the trees, which some describe as mimicking men arguing.

Habitat

This species breeds in tropical and subtropical environments, ranging from mezquital thickets in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to northern Costa Rica. It occupies a wide range of habitats, including primary and secondary forests, thorny bush-scrub, and human-modified areas such as orchards and suburban gardens. It is adaptable to scrubland arising after the clearing of tropical rainforest and can be found from sea level up to 1,850 m.

Diet

The plain chachalaca feeds in trees or on the ground on fruit, seeds, leaves, and flowers, with primary items including coyotillo, Mexican ash, pigeon-berry, and cedar elm. It is occasionally a pest of crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers. Animal matter, such as small snails, caterpillars, and lace bugs, is consumed incidentally in small quantities.

Did you know?

Unlike other members of its family, the plain chachalaca is uniquely capable of adapting to the scrubland that forms after the clearing of tropical rainforest. It has also been introduced and established in parts of the United States, including San Patricio County in Texas and several islands off the coast of Georgia, where it is considered invasive in some mainland areas.