Chachalacas, Guans and Curassows (Cracidae)
Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) - HBW 2, p. 343
French: Ortalide chacamel
German: Blauflügelguan
Spanish: Chachalaca Norteña
Other common names: Common/Mexican/Eastern Chachalaca; Northern Chachalaca (mccallii); Utila Chachalaca (deschauenseei)
Taxonomy: Penelope vetula Wagler, 1830, Mexico.
O. poliocephala and O. leucogastra formerly considered races of present species. Population of dry interior valley of Chiapas, S Mexico, was separated in race vallicola, but differences slight and not usually recognized. Isolated population in Costa Rica may represent undescribed race; sometimes assigned to O. leucogastra. In Chiapas, range meets, and may slightly overlap with those of O. poliocephala and O. leucogastra but hybridization not recorded. Four subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- mccallii Baird, 1858 - extreme S Texas (USA) and NE Mexico S to N Veracruz.
- vetula (Wagler, 1830) - E & S Mexico, Belize, E Guatemala, Honduras, W Nicaragua and NW Costa Rica.
- pallidiventris Ridgway, 1887 - N Yucatán.
- deschauenseei Bond, 1936 - Utila I, off N Honduras.
- Least Concern
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Two birds feeding in a bush. Tikal National Park, Petén, Guatemala (ssp vetula)
Pieter de Groot Bo... 6 August 2005 3 years ago 32 sec 4.2 -
A bird walking on branches Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Jaguar Preserve), Stann Creek District, Belize (ssp pallidiventris)
Wayne Hall 7 February 2007 2 years ago 32 sec 4 -
Two birds sand bathing. ZooMAT, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas State, Mexico (Southern) (ssp vetula)
Josep del Hoyo 27 March 2009 20 weeks ago 42 sec 4 -
A bird preening with open tail. ZooMAT, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas State, Mexico (Southern) (ssp vetula)
Josep del Hoyo 27 March 2009 20 weeks ago 43 sec 4 -
A bird sitting on a perch, looking around and then flying away. ZooMAT, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas State, Mexico (Southern) (ssp vetula)
Josep del Hoyo 27 March 2009 20 weeks ago 36 sec 4 -
A bird in a tree, alert Tolum, Quintana Roo State, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico (Southern) (ssp pallidiventris)
Josep del Hoyo 25 September 2006 3 years ago 36 sec 3.8
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At the feeding station by the refuge headquarters Laguna Atascosa , Cameron County, Texas, USA
Erik Breden 26 August 2008 15 weeks ago 3.7 -
A wild bird on a branch. ZooMAT, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas State, Mexico (Southern) (ssp vetula)
Josep del Hoyo 27 March 2009 21 weeks ago 3.7 -
A wild bird on the ground, with open tail. ZooMAT, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas State, Mexico (Southern) (ssp vetula)
Josep del Hoyo 27 March 2009 21 weeks ago 3 -
Plain Chachalaca Texas, USA
killiajk 19 January 2008 1 year ago 3 -
A close-up of a bird. Xalapa, Veracruz State, Mexico (Southern) (ssp vetula)
albert 22 December 2009 1 year ago 3 -
Chachalaca perched high on a tree Campeche State, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico (Southern)
rolando 6 June 2010 11 weeks ago 2.7
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Harsh calls of a wild bird walking.
ZooMAT, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas State, Mexico (Southern)
(ssp vetula)
Josep del Hoyo 27 March 2009 21 weeks ago 3 -
A group of birds calling.
Sumidero Canyon, Chiapas State, Mexico (Southern)
(ssp vetula)
Josep del Hoyo 8 April 2009 1 year ago 3
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