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Chachalaca

Ortalis vetula

Photo by BonnieLewis
Published on Project Noah
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26.2182, -97.3598

Field Notes

Description:

Chachalacas are mainly brown galliform birds from the genus Ortalis. These birds are found in wooded habitats in Texas, Mexico, and Central and South America. They are social, can be very noisy and often remain fairly common even near humans, as their relatively small size makes them less desirable to hunters than their larger relatives. They somewhat resemble the guans, and the two have commonly been placed in a subfamily together, though the chachalacas are probably closer to the curassows. — Wikipedia

Habitat:

Typically occurs in small groups of 3-5 individuals in tall, thorny thickets, scrubland, and second-growth forest edge along the Gulf-Caribbean slope from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Nuevo Leon, Mexico south to Honduras and Costa Rica. — Texas Wildlife Management

Notes:

Named for the raucous, ear-splitting chorus a flock makes. The loud cha-cha-lac-a call is most commonly heard during the morning hours, and increases considerably during the February-March breeding season.— Texas Wildlife Management

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Photographed
PublishedFebruary 16, 2017

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