Rufous-headed chachalaca

The rufous-headed chachalaca (Ortalis erythroptera) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.[2][3]

Rufous-headed chachalaca
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Cracidae
Genus: Ortalis
Species:
O. erythroptera
Binomial name
Ortalis erythroptera

Taxonomy and systematics

The rufous-headed chachalaca is monotypic.[2]

Description

The rufous-headed chachalaca is 56 to 66 cm (1.8 to 2.2 ft) long and weighs 620 to 645 g (1.4 to 1.4 lb). It has a rufous head and neck and gray-brown back. The central tail feathers are dark gray and the outer ones gray near the body and chestnut on their outer halves. The lower breast and belly are creamy white. The primary flight feathers are bright chestnut. Its brown eye is surrounded by bare bluish gray skin. The legs are pale blue.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The rufous-headed chachalaca is found in extreme southwestern Colombia, extreme northwestern Peru, and in several small to medium-sized areas in western Ecuador. It inhabits dry, but not arid, deciduous forest and cloudforest in the coastal zone and Andean foothills. There are unconfirmed reports from savannah and brushy habitats. In elevation it generally ranges from sea level to 1,390 m (4,560 ft) but has been seen as high as 1,850 m (6,070 ft) and heard near 2,500 m (8,200 ft).[4]

Behavior

Feeding

The rufous-headed chachalaca typically forages in groups of two to seven. Its known diet is only fruit but it may also include leaves.[4]

Breeding

The rufous-headed chachalaca's breeding season appears to parallel the January to May rainy season. Captive birds lay clutches of three eggs.[4]

Vocalization

The rufous-headed chachalaca is most vocal from before dawn into the early morning. Its principal call is a "raucous, repeated 'kwak-ar-ar-ar', 'cha-cha-kaw' or shriller 'kra-kra-kra'", and is usually initiated by the male. Pairs give several calls "including a soft cooing or clucking, [a] harsh 'cow', and [a] fast, repeated 'kawuck'."[4]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the rufous-headed chachalaca as Vulnerable. Its range is fragmented and its population small and declining. Habitat destruction and hunting are the primary threats.[1]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Rufous-headed Chachalaca Ortalis erythroptera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  2. Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.2)". Retrieved July 14, 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. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved August 24, 2021
  4. del Hoyo, J. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Rufous-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis erythroptera), 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.ruhcha1.01 retrieved September 28, 2021
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