Gray-headed Chachalaca - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Stanley Jones
Coclé Province, Panama, December, 2017

Ortalis cinereiceps

Identification

46–58 cm (18-22¾ in)

• Greyish head
• Brownish-grey tail, with buff tips
• Brown overall plumage with rufous on primaries
• Red skin fold is often visible on the throat

Distribution

Central and South America: found from tropical eastern Honduras to north-western Colombia

Taxonomy

Photo by njlarsen
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica, January 2011

This is a monotypic species^[1].

This taxon is considered a subspecies of Chestnut-winged Chachalaca by some authors^[2]

Three subspecies are recognised by some authors: O. c. cinereiceps, O. c. olivacea and O. c. chocoensis^[2]

Habitat

Rain forest edges, riparian, secondary humid forest, gardens. Observed at heights around 622 m.

Behaviour

Mostly in flocks which flies one after another from one spot to the next.

Diet

Their diet consists of fruit and berries.

Vocalisation

Does not have a "Chachalaca" sound

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Ridgely & Gwynne 1989. Birds of Panama. Princeton Paperbacks. ISBN 0691025126
4. Garrigues and Dean 2007. The birds of Costa Rica - a field guide. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-7373-9
5. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2014)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Gray-headed Chachalaca. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Gray-headed_Chachalaca

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