West Mexican Chachalaca
Ortalis poliocephala
Noisy, long-tailed game bird of tropical forest and edge, usually found in small groups. Most often detected by its raucous song, which carries well. It feeds on fruit and plant material on the ground and also high in trees, where it runs along branches. For a big bird, it can be surprisingly hard to see. It is wary in areas where it is hunted and it slips away from view quite easily. In southwest Chiapas, the smaller White-bellied Chachalaca lives in coastal lowlands, while the West Mexican Chachalaca lives in foothills.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ortalis poliocephala
- Authority
- (Wagler, 1830)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Cracidae
- Genus
- Ortalis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Waigeo Brushturkey
Aepypodius bruijnii
A very little-known, large, black ground bird endemic to the upland forests on Waigeo Island. Black above with some chestnut in the breast and a bare pink head and throat. The male has rather distasteful flaps of bare red skin on the head and a wattle hanging down from the base of the throat. The male often twitches his head. The only other member of the family on Waigeo is the Dusky Scrubfowl, but Waigeo Brushturkey is larger with a pinkish head.
Black-and-white Tody-Flycatcher
Poecilotriccus capitalis
Small and handsomely patterned flycatcher of lowland and foothill rainforest. Male has black upperparts, white underparts, yellow edge to the shoulders, and pale spot in front of eye. Female has olive back and wings, chestnut head, gray face and throat, and yellowish belly. Both sexes have a pale, yellow stripe along the inner part of the folded wing. Inhabits dense tangles in the forest understory, often in areas with bamboo. Gives sharp, metallic chips and a variety of excited trills.
Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis
Medium-sized songbird with a smooth gray body, black cap, and rusty-red undertail coverts. Sexes alike. Occurs in shrubby habitats, especially thickets or second-growth at the edge of forest, often near water. Usually quite skulking, but sometimes pops up conspicuously, especially when singing. Occasionally visits feeders, especially for suet. Listen for complex, jumbled song, which often includes mimicry of other species.
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