Ortalis cinereiceps
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Chachalaca sighting in Poás Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 150th most-seen of the 356 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Chachalaca in Poás Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months. That is one of Poás Volcano National Park's wettest months, with about 460 mm of rain against 95 mm in March.
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.
23rd of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate Gray-headed Chachalaca sightings, Poás Volcano National Park ranks 23rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%), Chirripó National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Chagres National Park (Panama, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gray-headed Chachalaca is recorded against all the birds logged in Poás Volcano National Park (69 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.
