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 Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Ecuador, and Peru.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

Taxonomy and systematics

The rufous-headed chachalaca is monotypic.

Description

The rufous-headed chachalaca is long and weighs . 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.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

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 but has been seen as high as and heard near .

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.

Breeding

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

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, harsh 'cow', and fast, repeated 'kawuck'."

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

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.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1261192

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.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, ...

Birds of Ecuador Birds of Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot