| Speckled chachalaca | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Cracidae |
| Genus: | Ortalis |
| Species: | O. guttata |
| Binomial name | |
| Ortalis guttata (Spix, 1825) | |
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The speckled chachalaca (Ortalis guttata) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. [2] [3]
The taxonomic history of the speckled chachalaca is complex. It was at one time considered conspecific with what was then called the variable chachalaca (Ortalis motmot) and buff-browed chachalaca (O. superciliaris). They were split and the variable chachalaca has since been split further. [4] (Confusingly, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) then renamed O. motmot little chachalaca but the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and the Clements taxonomy retained the name "variable" for it.) Later still, three more species were split from speckled chachalaca, the East Brazilian (O. araucuan), scaled (O. squamata), and Colombian (O. columbiana) chachalacas. [2] [5] [6]
The speckled chachalaca as now understood has three subspecies, the nominate O. g. guttata, O. g. subaffinis, and O. g. remota. However, some authors treat the last as a subspecies of scaled chachalaca and others suggest it deserves to be an entirely separate species. [2] [4]
The speckled chachalaca is 49 to 55 cm (1.6 to 1.8 ft) long. The nominate subspecies is mostly brown above with a darker and grayer head and neck. The mantle has a chestnut wash; the tail has a bronze gloss and the outer feathers are rufous. The throat and breast are dark brown with the eponymous white speckles. The lower breast and belly are light grayish brown and the vent bright rufous. The eye is dark brown to dark reddish brown and is surrounded by bare slate blue skin. [4]
O. g. subaffinis is lighter but browner overall than the nominate, does not have the chestnut wash on the mantle, and the marks on the throat and breast are more scalloped than speckled. It is also somewhat larger. O. g. remota's description is from a single specimen. It differs from the nominate: Its crown is rufescent rather than gray, it is paler and more olive above, the rump is chestnut, and the "speckles" are larger and less well defined. [4]
The nominate subspecies of speckled chachalaca is found in the Amazonia of eastern Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; northern Bolivia; and western Brazil. O. g. subaffinis is found in the Amazonia of eastern and northeastern Bolivia and adjoining southwestern Brazil. O. g. remota is, as its specific epithet implies, remote from the other two subspecies; it is found in southeastern Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo states. [4]
The speckled chachalaca inhabits a variety of tropical and subtropical landscapes. The two Amazonian subspecies is typically found in low or open forest, thickets, "forest islands" in savanna, várzea , and riparian and floodplain forest. They shun the interior of terra firme forest. They reach their highest elevations at the western edge of their range, usually up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in Bolivia, 1,100 m (3,600 ft) in Ecuador, and 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in Peru though locally higher in all three countries. O. g. remota is found only in secondary woodland and the edges of gallery forest in its small zone. [4]
The speckled chachalaca mostly forages in small flocks of up to seven birds, primarily in the subcanopy and understory and only rarely on the ground. Its diet has not been extensively studied but is known to include fruits and other plant material. [4]
The speckled chachalaca's breeding phenology is poorly known. Its nesting season appears to vary across its range but in Peru encompasses at least November to March. One nest was made entirely of leaves on a bed of dry ferns. The clutch size is three to four eggs. [4]
The song of the nominate speckled chachalaca is a "rhythmic five-syllable phrase rendered ha-ga-GAA-gogok, repeated rapidly." Those of the other subspecies are similar. [4]
The IUCN has assessed the speckled chachalaca as being of Least Concern. [1] The two Amazonian subspecies are generally common throughout their range and occur in protected areas in every country. They seem to tolerate human activity fairly well, and hunting pressure is less than that suffered by other chachalacas. O. g. remota, however, is very rare; much of its habitat was flooded by hydroelectric reservoirs and Brazilian authorities consider it Critically Endangered. [4]
The Amazonian motmot is a colorful near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in the Amazon lowlands and low Andean foothills from eastern Venezuela to eastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina.
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.
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.
The rufous motmot is a near-passerine bird in the family Momotidae. It is found from northeastern Honduras south to western Ecuador, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil.
The sickle-winged guan is a species of bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
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.
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.
The chestnut-winged chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Colombia.
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.
The buff-browed chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Brazil.
The red-throated piping guan is a species of bird in the chachalaca, guan, and curassow family Cracidae. It is found in Bolivia and Brazil.
The long-tailed potoo is a species of bird in the family Nyctibiidae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
The ochre-throated foliage-gleaner is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Panama and every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The speckled spinetail is a species of bird in the Furnariinae subfamily of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The chestnut-breasted wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
The white-chinned woodcreeper is a species of bird in subfamily Dendrocolaptinae of the ovenbird family Furnariidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The East Brazilian chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to eastern Brazil.
The scaled chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Brazil.
The Colombian chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is endemic to the forests and woodlands in the inter-Andean valleys in Colombia. Colombian Chachalacas are frugivorous and lead an arboreal lifestyle. The large seeds they disperse through defecation support the maintenance of diverse tropical forests.
The chestnut-headed chachalaca is a bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Brazil.
