Chestnut-winged Chachalaca
Ortalis garrula
Long-tailed, chickenlike bird restricted to the lowlands of northern Colombia. The chestnut wings may be hidden from view when the bird is perched. It can be separated from the similar Rufous-vented Chachalaca by its white belly and pale (not rusty) tail tips. Distinguished from Colombian Chachalaca by lack of scaling on head and breast. Inhabits lightly wooded areas and mangroves. Easier to see early in the morning and late in the afternoon when it often perches up in the open and gives loud, raucous calls.
Identification
The chestnut-winged chachalaca is 53 to 60 cm (1.7 to 2.0 ft) long. One male weighed 755 g (1.7 lb) and a female 630 g (1.4 lb). Both sexes have brown upperparts that are lighter on the crown and nape; the tail is dark gray-brown with a white tip. The throat and upper breast are also brown with a sharp demarcation between it and the white lower breast, flanks, and belly. The primary flight feathers are bright chestnut. The eye is surrounded by bare reddish to black skin.
Taxonomy
The chestnut-winged chachalaca was at one time treated as conspecific with the grey-headed chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps). It is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Ortalis garrula
- Authority
- (Humboldt, 1805)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Cracidae
- Genus
- Ortalis
Range and habitat
The chestnut-winged chachalaca is found in northern Colombia in an area roughly bounded on the west by the Sinú River, in the east by the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and in the south by the lower Cauca and Magdalena River valleys. It inhabits a variety of landscapes characterized by thick vegetation such as scrubby deciduous forest, arid scrub, tropical thickets, and mangroves. It shuns the interior of dense forest but can be found on its edges. In elevation it ranges from sea level to about 800 m (2,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Fire-tailed Myzornis
Myzornis pyrrhoura
Uncommon but unmistakable inhabitant of middle- to high-altitude thickets. Bright green with fiery red tail edges, an orange throat, a black line through the eye, and flashing white dots on the wingtips. Females are slightly duller than males but are otherwise similar. Never in large numbers; usually seen singly, occasionally in pairs and trios. Often joins mixed-species foraging flocks.
Halmahera Oriole
Oriolus phaeochromus
A nondescript, uniformly earth-brown medium-sized bird with a stout bill. Sexes alike. Singles and pairs can be found in the upper levels of forest, forest edge, mangroves, and nearby cultivated areas in lowlands and foothills. Sometimes joins mixed-species flocks. Differs from the similarly dark brown White-streaked Friarbird in its consistently uniform appearance, lacking any streaking or pale markings on the head. Gives a rollicking, fluty call, “ke-ke-KWEEOW.” First two notes can be barely audible, but last note powerful and loud.
Ecuadorian Tapaculo
Scytalopus robbinsi
Rare and endangered tapaculo found only in a small area of wet foothill rainforest in the Andes of southwestern Ecuador. Plumage is mostly gray with a brown belly that has dark barring. Rump, nape, and wings may also be brown, and more so on female. Similar to female Blackish Tapaculo, but has barring on lower underparts and a different voice, and is found at lower elevations. Stays near the ground in dense, dark forest understory where it is very hard to see. Song is a very long series of notes that starts rather slow, but soon accelerates into a rapid “peter-peter-peter…”
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