Plain Chachalaca, Ortalis vetula

Plain Chachalaca, Ortalis vetula. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California, taken in the coastal region of Costa Rica, February 2016.

Plain Chachalaca, Ortalis vetula. Bird photographed in Cancún, Quintana Roo, March 2021. Photograph and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.

The Plain Chachalaca, Ortalis vetula, is a member of the Cracidae Family of Guans, Chachalacas and Curassows. They are mid-sized in stature. In Mexico they are found within the entire Atlantic Slope including all freshwater drainages into the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula into the Caribbean at elevations below 1,850 m (6,070 feet). From a conservation perspective the Plain Chachalaca is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are found in humid tropical forests, subtropical woods, tree groves near rivers and in dense brush in close proximity to water. They consume seasonal berries, leaves, buds and seeds.