Ortalis vetula
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) is a large bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow family Cracidae. It breeds in tropical and subtropical environments from mezquital thickets in the Rio Grande Valley in southernmost Texas, United States to northernmost Costa Rica. In Central America, this species occurs in the Pacific lowlands from Chiapas, Mexico to northern Nicaragua and as a separate population in Costa Rica, where its range is separated by a short distance, as a disjunct population.
This species frequents dry and moist forests, especially where interspersed with scrub and savanna. Usually found in groups of up to 15 birds, the plain chachalaca is furtive and wary and prefers to escape from danger by running swiftly on the ground or leaping and gliding through brushy tangles. The plain chachalaca feeds in trees or on the ground on fruit (figs, palms, Sapotaceae), seeds, leaves, and flowers. It is sometimes a pest of crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers.
The call is a loud, raucous RAW-pa-haw or cha-cha-LAW-ka, often by several birds in a rhythmical chorus, especially in early morning and evening, usually from well up in trees. It also produces peeping whistles and cackles. Others describe chachalaca calls as irritating noises mimicking a bunch of men arguing. The plain chachalaca typically breeds in the early wet season. The nest is a shallow saucer of twigs and plant fibers, lined with leaves, in thick vegetation. The clutch is 2–4 rough-shelled white to cream eggs. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Managua | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 5 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Xcaret | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Joya Grande | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Gladys Porter Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Parque Zoológico Miguel Ángel de Quevedo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Macaw mountain bird park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 8 | Tracy Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | ARCAS Petén Education Centre | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 11 | Parque museo La Venta | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Plain Chachalaca sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 278 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 74th most-seen of the 297 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Plain Chachalaca in Celestún Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in April, July–September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Celestún Biosphere Reserve's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain against 10 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Plain Chachalaca sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Plain Chachalaca sightings, Celestún Biosphere Reserve ranks 11th at about 20%. The best odds are in Cañón del Sumidero National Park (Mexico, about 50%), Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 40%) and Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park (Honduras, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Plain Chachalaca is recorded against all the birds logged in Celestún Biosphere Reserve (278 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
