Plain Chachalaca
Ortalis vetula
Conservation Status
Least ConcernAves · Galliformes · Cracidae
About
The plain chachalaca 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.
Fun Fact
Plain Chachalacas are named for their extremely loud, raucous call which multiple birds produce simultaneously in deafening choruses at dawn.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Found from Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande, through the eastern coast of Mexico, the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, northern Guatemala, northern Honduras and just into the north central part of Nicaragua, with a small population on the Nicoya Peninsula of northern Costa Rica.
Diet
To be updated
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance