Chachalaca
Encyclopedia
Chachalacas are mainly brown birds from the genus Ortalis. These cracid
s are found in wooded habitats in far southern United States
(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 guan
s, and the two have commonly been placed in a subfamily
together, though the chachalacas are probably closer to the curassow
s.
The generic name is derived from the Greek
word όρταλις, meaning "pullet" or "domestic hen
." The common name is an onomatopoeia for the four-noted cackle of the Plain Chachalaca
(O. vetula).
Mitochondrial
and nuclear DNA
sequence
data tentatively suggests that the chachalacas emerged as a distinct lineage during the Oligocene
, somewhere around 40-20 mya, possibly being the first lineage of modern cracids to evolve; this does agree with the known fossil record - including indeterminate, cracid-like birds - which very cautiously favors a north-to-south expansion of the family
.
record, essentially being limited to a few chachalacas. The prehistoric species of the present genus, however, indicate that chachalacas most likely evolved in North
or northern Central America
:
The Early Miocene fossil Boreortalis from Florida
is also a chachalaca; it may actually be referrable to the extant genus.
Cracidae
The chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae.These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. One species, the Plain Chachalaca, just reaches southernmost Texas in the USA...
s are found in wooded habitats in far southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
), Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. 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 guan
Guan (bird)
The guans are a number of bird genera which make up the largest group in the family Cracidae. They are found mainly in northern South America, southern Central America, and a few adjacent Caribbean islands...
s, and the two have commonly been placed in a subfamily
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
together, though the chachalacas are probably closer to the curassow
Curassow
Curassows are one of the three major groups of cracid birds. Three of the four genera are restricted to tropical South America; a single species of Crax ranges north to Mexico...
s.
The generic name is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word όρταλις, meaning "pullet" or "domestic hen
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
." The common name is an onomatopoeia for the four-noted cackle of the Plain Chachalaca
Plain Chachalaca
The Plain Chachalaca, Ortalis vetula, is a large bird in the Cracidae family. It breeds in tropical and subtropical environments from mezquital thickets in the Rio Grande Valley in southernmost Texas, United States to northernmost Costa Rica....
(O. vetula).
Mitochondrial
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
and nuclear DNA
Nuclear DNA
Nuclear DNA, nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid , is DNA contained within a nucleus of eukaryotic organisms. In mammals and vertebrates, nuclear DNA encodes more of the genome than the mitochondrial DNA and is composed of information inherited from two parents, one male, and one female, rather than...
sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
data tentatively suggests that the chachalacas emerged as a distinct lineage during the Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
, somewhere around 40-20 mya, possibly being the first lineage of modern cracids to evolve; this does agree with the known fossil record - including indeterminate, cracid-like birds - which very cautiously favors a north-to-south expansion of the family
Cracidae
The chachalacas, guans and curassows are birds in the family Cracidae.These are species of tropical and subtropical Central and South America. One species, the Plain Chachalaca, just reaches southernmost Texas in the USA...
.
Species
- Plain ChachalacaPlain ChachalacaThe Plain Chachalaca, Ortalis vetula, is a large bird in the Cracidae family. It breeds in tropical and subtropical environments from mezquital thickets in the Rio Grande Valley in southernmost Texas, United States to northernmost Costa Rica....
, Ortalis vetula- Utila Island Chachalaca, Ortalis vetula deschauensei (not seen for many years until rediscovery in 2005)
- Grey-headed ChachalacaGrey-headed ChachalacaThe Grey-headed Chachalaca, Ortalis cinereiceps, is a member of an ancient group of birds of the Cracidae family, which are related to the Australasian mound builders...
, Ortalis cinereiceps - Chestnut-winged ChachalacaChestnut-winged ChachalacaThe Chestnut-winged Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family.It is found only in Colombia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
, Ortalis garrula - Rufous-vented ChachalacaRufous-vented ChachalacaThe Rufous-vented Chachalaca, Ortalis ruficauda, is a member of an ancient group of birds of the Cracidae family, which are related to the Australasian mound builders. It inhabits northeast Colombia and northern Venezuela where it is called Guacharaca, and in Tobago where it is known as the Cocrico...
, Ortalis ruficauda - Rufous-headed ChachalacaRufous-headed ChachalacaThe Rufous-headed Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family.It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru....
, Ortalis erythroptera - Rufous-bellied ChachalacaRufous-bellied ChachalacaThe Rufous-bellied Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family.It is found only in Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Ortalis wagleri - West Mexican ChachalacaWest Mexican ChachalacaThe West Mexican Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family.It is found only in Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Ortalis poliocephala - Chaco ChachalacaChaco ChachalacaThe Chaco Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay....
, Ortalis canicollis - White-bellied ChachalacaWhite-bellied ChachalacaThe White-bellied Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family.It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua....
, Ortalis leucogastra - Colombian ChachalacaColombian ChachalacaThe Colombian Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family. It is found in forests and woodlands in the inter-Andean valleys in Colombia. It has traditionally been treated as a subspecies of the Speckled Chachalaca....
, Ortalis columbiana - Speckled ChachalacaSpeckled ChachalacaThe Speckled Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family. It is found in forests and woodlands in the western Amazon Basin and disjunctly in the Atlantic forests in eastern Brazil...
, Ortalis guttata- East Brazilian Chachalaca, Ortalis (guttata) araucuan
- Scaled Chachalaca, Ortalis (guttata) squamata
- Little ChachalacaLittle ChachalacaThe Little Chachalaca is a small bird found only in the northern part of South America. It grows to about 38 cm in length and weighs . This bird lives mostly in trees. It is a member of the Cracidae family, and is found in northern Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela...
, Ortalis motmot- Chestnut-headed Chachalaca, Ortalis (motmot) ruficeps
- Buff-browed ChachalacaBuff-browed ChachalacaThe Buff-browed Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family.It is found only in Brazil.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:*...
, Ortalis superciliaris
Prehistoric species
The cracids have a very poor fossilFossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
record, essentially being limited to a few chachalacas. The prehistoric species of the present genus, however, indicate that chachalacas most likely evolved in North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
or northern Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
:
- Ortalis tantala (Early Miocene of Nebraska, USA)
- Ortalis pollicaris (Flint Hill Middle Miocene of South Dakota, USA)
- Ortalis affinis (Ogallala Early Pliocene of Trego County, USA)
- Ortalis phengites (Snake Creek Early Pliocene of Sioux County, USA)
The Early Miocene fossil Boreortalis from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
is also a chachalaca; it may actually be referrable to the extant genus.