Chestnut-headed chachalaca

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Chestnut-headed chachalaca
Ortalis ruficeps - Chestnut-headed Chachalaca; Serra dos Carajas, Para, Brazil.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Cracidae
Genus: Ortalis
Species:
O. ruficeps
Binomial name
Ortalis ruficeps
(Wagler, 1830)
Ortalis ruficeps map.svg
Synonyms

Ortalis motmot ruficeps

The chestnut-headed chachalaca (Ortalis ruficeps) is a bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Brazil. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

What is now the chestnut-headed chachalaca was previously a subspecies of what was then called variable chachalaca (Ortalis motmot). (Confusingly, after the split the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) renamed O. motmot "little chachalaca" but the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and the Clements taxonomy retained the name "variable" for it.) It is monotypic. [2] [1] [3] [4]

Description

The chestnut-headed chachalaca is 43 to 54 cm (1.4 to 1.8 ft) long and weighs 345 to 620 g (0.76 to 1.4 lb). It has a reddish-chestnut head, grayish brown upperparts, grayish underparts, and dark brown primary flight feathers. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The chestnut-headed chachalaca is found only in north-central Brazil, south of the Amazon River between rio Tapajós in Pará state and rio Araguaia in Tocantins state. Though its habitat has not been well studied, it is believed to be similar to that of the little chachalaca: landscapes such as dense secondary forest and the undergrowth along rivers, in clearings, and abandoned pastures. It probably shuns the interior of dense forest. [2]

Behavior

Feeding

The chestnut-headed chachalaca's feeding behavior and diet are assumed to be the same as those of little chachalaca. That species forages in trees or on the ground, usually in pairs or small flocks. Its primary diet is berries and fruits although it also eats flowers and leaves. [2]

Breeding

No information has been published about the chestnut-headed chachalaca's breeding phenology. [2]

Vocalization

The chestnut-headed chachalaca's song is "a loud, rollicking duet, a repeated 'WATCH-a-lak', which is mainly given at dawn and dusk" and is very similar to that of the little chachalaca though slower. [2]

Status

The IUCN has not assessed the chestnut-headed chachalaca. It is considered rather common in parts of its range and occurs in some protected areas. [2]

Related Research Articles

Cracidae Family of birds

The chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae. These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. The range of one species, the plain chachalaca, just reaches southernmost parts of Texas in the United States. Two species, the Trinidad piping guan and the rufous-vented chachalaca occur on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago respectively.

Grey-headed chachalaca Species of bird

The grey-headed chachalaca is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which includes chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found from Honduras to Colombia.

Little chachalaca Species of bird

The little chachalaca is a bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela and possibly Colombia.

Black-fronted piping guan Species of bird

The black-fronted piping guan or jacutinga in Brazilian Portuguese is a bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Crestless curassow Species of bird

The crestless curassow is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela.

Chaco chachalaca Species of bird

The Chaco chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and possibly Uruguay.

Rufous-headed chachalaca Species of bird

The rufous-headed chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Chestnut-winged chachalaca Species of bird

The chestnut-winged chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Colombia.

Speckled chachalaca Species of bird

The speckled chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

White-bellied chachalaca Species of bird

The white-bellied chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

Buff-browed chachalaca Species of bird

The buff-browed chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Brazil.

Rufous-bellied chachalaca Species of bird

The rufous-bellied chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to western Mexico.

White-browed guan Species of bird

The white-browed guan is a species of bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is endemic to northeastern Brazil.

Marail guan Species of bird

The Marail guan or Cayenne guan is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Sepia-brown wren Species of bird

The sepia-brown wren or Sharpe's wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Peruvian wren Species of bird

The Peruvian wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic Peru.

Sooty-headed wren Species of bird

The sooty-headed wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia and Panama.

East Brazilian chachalaca Species of bird

The East Brazilian chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to eastern Brazil.

Scaled chachalaca Species of bird

The scaled chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Brazil.

The name variable chachalaca may refer to one of two bird species:

References

  1. 1 2 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.2)" . Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 del Hoyo, J. and G. M. Kirwan (2021). Chestnut-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis ruficeps), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.varcha3.01 retrieved September 30, 2021
  3. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved August 24, 2021
  4. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 25, 2021