PLAIN CHACHALACA

(Ortalis vetula)

eBird gives this description of the Plain Chachalaca:  Large chickenlike bird found in brushy woodland. Olive-brown overall with warmer buffy belly and long tail and neck. Bare red moustache is usually hidden. Tail feathers have white tips. Extremely noisy and full of character. Small groups crash through the brush from tree to tree with the grace of a large bulldozer. Often heard “singing” a cacophony of grating shouts and squawks. Feeds mainly on fruit.  All About Birds offers this additional descriptive information: Almost always heard before it is seen, the Plain Chachalaca is sort of a long-tailed, tropical chicken that lives in the treetops. These sandy brown and gray birds walk along tree branches to eat flowers, buds, fruits, and insects. They’re locally fairly common in brushy and thorny forests along streams in the Rio Grande Valley and south into Central America. Though their plumage is subtle, their raucous, rhythmic morning chorus is anything but—a classic sound of the Tamaulipan brushlands that livens up any outing.

I saw a number of Plain Chachalacas during my birding trip to the Rio Grande Valley in June of 2020.   I saw my first one while walking the Mesquite Loop Trail at Laguna Atascosa.  I also saw a pair near the parking lot and took a short video of their raucous behavior.  I also saw a Plain Chachalaca in a tree near the Grebe Pond at Hugh Ramsey Park in Harlingen.  Hope you enjoy my photos and video of this “tropical chicken”!