White-bellied Chachalaca (Ortalis leucogastra)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

White-bellied Chachalaca

Ortalis leucogastra (Gould, 1843)

43–50 cmLength496 gWeight

The white-bellied chachalaca (Ortalis leucogastra) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows.

Busiest months: January–March · Most records: Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

White-bellied Chachalaca has been recorded at 27 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Finca La GraciaGuatemala2,729 records
  2. RNP Los Tarrales – sendero La RinconadaGuatemala1,045 records
  3. RNP Los TarralesGuatemala936 records
More places
  1. RNP Los Tarrales – sendero a la playa y lagunaGuatemala819 records
  2. RNP Los Tarrales – La CasonaGuatemala679 records
  3. Ecoparque El EspinoEl Salvador424 records
  4. Parque del BicentenarioEl Salvador401 records
  5. Reserva NaturaNicaragua136 records
  6. RNP Los Tarrales – La IslaGuatemala131 records
  7. PN Walter Thilo DeiningerEl Salvador99 records

Countries and regions with the most records

GuatemalaEl SalvadorNicaragua

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 white-bellied chachalaca (Ortalis leucogastra) is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

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

Questions

How big is the White-bellied Chachalaca?

The White-bellied Chachalaca is about 43–50 cm long and weighs around 496 g.

Where does the White-bellied Chachalaca live?

Its breeding range: Middle America: southern Mexico to Nicaragua. It is most often recorded in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

When is the best time to see the White-bellied Chachalaca?

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

Is the White-bellied Chachalaca endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the White-bellied Chachalaca as Least Concern.

What does the White-bellied Chachalaca eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the White-bellied Chachalaca in?

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

At a glance

Length
43–50 cm
Weight
496 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
209 mm
Tail
204 mm
Bill
31 mm
Tarsus
58 mm

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

Range

Middle America: southern Mexico to Nicaragua

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 wagleriWest Mexican ChachalacaWest Mexican ChachalacaOrtalis poliocephalaChaco ChachalacaChaco ChachalacaOrtalis canicollisSpeckled ChachalacaSpeckled ChachalacaOrtalis guttataEast Brazilian ChachalacaEast Brazilian ChachalacaOrtalis araucuanScaled ChachalacaScaled ChachalacaOrtalis squamataColombian ChachalacaColombian ChachalacaOrtalis columbiana
White-bellied Chachalaca

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

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