West Mexican Chachalaca

About the West Mexican Chachalaca

The West Mexican chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Mexico. The West Mexican chachalaca was first described as Penelope poliocephala and later moved to genus Ortalis. At one time it was considered a subspecies of plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula). After being reinstated as a species, some authors included what is now the rufous-bellied chachalaca (O. wagleri) as a subspecies. In its current status, the West Mexican chachalaca is monotypic.

The West Mexican chachalaca is 58.5 to 68.5 cm (1.9 to 2.2 ft) long. One male weighed 760 g (1.7 lb). Its crown and nape are dull brownish gray and the rest of the upperparts pale brownish olive. The tail is slightly grayer and the feathers have broad buff tips. The breast is grayish olive and the belly whitish with a buff wash. The hazel eye is surrounded by bare carmine skin.

The West Mexican chachalaca is found in a swath of southwestern Mexico between northern Jalisco and southwestern Chiapas and inland as far as southwestern Puebla. It primarily inhabits mature deciduous... Wikipedia →