Ortalis cinereiceps
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The grey-headed chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps) is a member of an ancient group of birds in the family Cracidae, which includes chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found from Honduras to Colombia. The family Cracidae is closely related to the guineafowl (Numididae), the pheasants, grouse and allies (Phasianidae), and the New World quail (Odontophoridae). The grey-headed chachalaca was at one time treated as conspecific with the chestnut-winged chachalaca (Ortalis garrula). It is monotypic; several subspecies have been proposed and not accepted.
The grey-headed chachalaca is a medium-sized bird, similar in general appearance to turkeys, with a small head, long strong legs, and a long broad tail. They are 48 to 58 cm (1.6 to 1.9 ft) long and weigh 490 to 540 g (1.1 to 1.2 lb). They have fairly dull plumage, grayish brown above and paler below. The head is dark grey with a red dewlap and the blackish tail is tipped with buff. Their primary flight feathers are bright chestnut. Juveniles are browner overall, especially on the head.
The grey-headed chachalaca is found from Mosquitia in eastern Honduras through... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Zoo. La Isla del Tapir | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 5 | Parque museo La Venta | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Edward Youde Aviary | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China |
No species of the same family or order lives in Panama City, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Chachalaca sighting in Panama City on a given day, based on 188 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 136th most-seen of the 363 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Chachalaca in Panama City on a given day, against under 5% in March to January, the lowest months. That is one of Panama City's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 260 mm in October.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray-headed 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.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Gray-headed Chachalaca sightings, Panama City ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in San José (Costa Rica, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gray-headed Chachalaca is recorded against all the birds logged in Panama City (188 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.
