Ortalis ruficauda
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The rufous-vented chachalaca (Ortalis ruficauda) is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which are related to the Australasian mound builders. It inhabits northeast Colombia and northern Venezuela where it is called guacharaca, and the island of Tobago in Trinidad and Tobago where it is known as the cocrico and is one of the country's two national birds (being featured on the country's coat of arms). It is also found on Bequia and Union Island in the Grenadines where it may have been introduced.
The rufous-vented chachalaca is a largely arboreal species found in forest and woodland, but it is also found in more open dry scrubby areas. This combined with relatively low hunting pressure, make it far less vulnerable than larger members of the family, notably curassows.
These are medium-sized birds, similar in general appearance to turkeys, with small heads, long strong legs and a long broad tail. They are typically 53–58 cm long; the female weighs 540g and the larger male 640g. They have fairly dull plumage, dark brown above and paler below. The head is grey, and the brown tail is tipped rufous or white depending on race. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 2 | Henri Pittier National Park | 🇻🇪 Venezuela |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Buenaventura Zoo | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Bird Kingdom | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-vented Chachalaca sighting in Caracas on a given day, based on 3,584 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 26th most-seen of the 295 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February to May
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-vented Chachalaca in Caracas on a given day, against about 30% in June to January, the lowest months. Those are among Caracas's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 120 mm in August.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-vented 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.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Rufous-vented Chachalaca sightings, Caracas has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Valencia (Venezuela, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-vented Chachalaca is recorded against all the birds logged in Caracas (3,584 verified sightings), 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.
