Grey-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps)
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Grey-headed Chachalaca

Ortalis cinereiceps Gray, GR, 1867

48–58 cmLength493 gWeight

The grey-headed chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps) is a member of an ancient group of birds in the family Cracidae, which includes chachalacas, guans, and curassows.

Busiest months: January–March · Most records: Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January–March · Most records: Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua

Grey-headed Chachalaca has been recorded at 129 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Rancho NaturalistaCosta Rica7,563 records
  2. Arenal Observatory LodgeCosta Rica4,836 records
  3. Sendero BogarínCosta Rica3,058 records
More places
  1. Canopy LodgePanama3,045 records
  2. Wilson Botanical GardenCosta Rica2,055 records
  3. Tirimbina Rainforest CenterCosta Rica1,771 records
  4. Refugio mixto Caño NegroCosta Rica1,652 records
  5. Ammo Dump PondsPanama1,576 records
  6. Gamboa Rainforest ReservePanama1,546 records
  7. Curi-Cancha Refugio de Vida SilvestreCosta Rica1,301 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Costa RicaPanamaNicaraguaColombia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The grey-headed chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps) is a member of an ancient group of birds in the family Cracidae, which includes chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found from Honduras to Colombia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Grey-headed Chachalaca?

The Grey-headed Chachalaca is about 48–58 cm long and weighs around 493 g.

Where does the Grey-headed Chachalaca live?

Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: Honduras to northern Colombia. It is most often recorded in Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua.

When is the best time to see the Grey-headed Chachalaca?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Grey-headed Chachalaca endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Grey-headed Chachalaca as Least Concern.

What does the Grey-headed Chachalaca eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the Grey-headed Chachalaca in?

It belongs to the family Chachalacas, Curassows, Guans (Cracidae), order Galliformes.

At a glance

Length
48–58 cm
Weight
493 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
206 mm
Tail
207 mm
Bill
29 mm
Tarsus
60 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Middle America, South America: Honduras to northern Colombia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Genus
Ortalis

Other birds in the genus Ortalis

Plain ChachalacaPlain ChachalacaOrtalis vetulaChestnut-winged ChachalacaChestnut-winged ChachalacaOrtalis garrulaRufous-vented ChachalacaRufous-vented ChachalacaOrtalis ruficaudaRufous-headed ChachalacaRufous-headed ChachalacaOrtalis erythropteraRufous-bellied ChachalacaRufous-bellied ChachalacaOrtalis wagleriWest Mexican ChachalacaWest Mexican ChachalacaOrtalis poliocephalaChaco ChachalacaChaco ChachalacaOrtalis canicollisWhite-bellied ChachalacaWhite-bellied ChachalacaOrtalis leucogastraSpeckled ChachalacaSpeckled ChachalacaOrtalis guttataEast Brazilian ChachalacaEast Brazilian ChachalacaOrtalis araucuanScaled ChachalacaScaled ChachalacaOrtalis squamataColombian ChachalacaColombian ChachalacaOrtalis columbiana
Grey-headed Chachalaca

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ad Konings. ↗

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