West Mexican Chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

West Mexican Chachalaca

Ortalis poliocephala (Wagler, 1830)

58–68 cmLength760 gWeight

The West Mexican chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows.

Busiest months: January–March · Most records: Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

West Mexican Chachalaca has been recorded at 10 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Rancho PrimaveraMexico1,439 records
  2. Jardín Botánico VallartaMexico1,003 records
  3. Playa YelapaMexico704 records
More places
  1. Ojo de Agua TolistoqueMexico465 records
  2. Presa Piedra AzulMexico198 records
  3. Playa Santa Maria XadaniMexico41 records
  4. Rio PitillalMexico37 records
  5. Zona Arqueológica Monte AlbánMexico37 records
  6. Boca de TomatesMexico17 records
  7. Zona Arqueológica YagulMexico2 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Mexico

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 West Mexican chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to Mexico.

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

Questions

How big is the West Mexican Chachalaca?

The West Mexican Chachalaca is about 58–68 cm long and weighs around 760 g.

Where does the West Mexican Chachalaca live?

Its breeding range: Middle America: western and southwestern Mexico. It is most often recorded in Mexico.

When is the best time to see the West Mexican Chachalaca?

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

Is the West Mexican Chachalaca endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the West Mexican Chachalaca as Least Concern.

What does the West Mexican Chachalaca eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the West Mexican Chachalaca in?

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

At a glance

Length
58–68 cm
Weight
760 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
260 mm
Tail
292 mm
Bill
33 mm
Tarsus
76 mm

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

Range

Middle America: western and southwestern Mexico

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Genus
Ortalis

Other birds in the genus Ortalis

Plain ChachalacaPlain ChachalacaOrtalis vetulaGrey-headed ChachalacaGrey-headed ChachalacaOrtalis cinereicepsChestnut-winged ChachalacaChestnut-winged ChachalacaOrtalis garrulaRufous-vented ChachalacaRufous-vented ChachalacaOrtalis ruficaudaRufous-headed ChachalacaRufous-headed ChachalacaOrtalis erythropteraRufous-bellied ChachalacaRufous-bellied ChachalacaOrtalis wagleriChaco ChachalacaChaco ChachalacaOrtalis canicollisWhite-bellied ChachalacaWhite-bellied ChachalacaOrtalis leucogastraSpeckled ChachalacaSpeckled ChachalacaOrtalis guttataEast Brazilian ChachalacaEast Brazilian ChachalacaOrtalis araucuanScaled ChachalacaScaled ChachalacaOrtalis squamataColombian ChachalacaColombian ChachalacaOrtalis columbiana
West Mexican Chachalaca

Download illustration

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

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