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Ortalis erythroptera

Rufous-headed Chachalaca

  • Order: Galliformes
  • Family: Cracidae

Authors:

The Rufous-headed Chachalaca is found in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Plain in coloration, the Rufous-headed Chachalaca has a creamy colored abdomen and breast, with bright chestnut on the primaries and the tips of its tail. These birds are residents of dry deciduous forest, humid cloud forest, savanna and occasionally agricultural land. In the Sorzoranga Mountains of southern Ecuador, this species of chachalaca is found in dry Ceiba dominated deciduous forest and evergreen forest patches. The Rufous-headed Chachalaca forages in small groups of 2 to 7 individuals. This species has experienced a range constriction in recent years due to logging, overgrazing and hunting pressure.

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Recommended Citation

. 2010. Rufous-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis erythroptera), Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=75911

This map is based on the maps available from the NatureServe InfoNatura website. The data for these maps are provided by NatureServe in collaboration with Robert Ridgely, James Zook, The Nature Conservancy - Migratory Bird Program, Conservation International - CABS, World Wildlife Fund - US, and Environment Canada - WILDSPACE.

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