Grey-headed chachalaca

Ortalis cinereiceps

The grey-headed chachalaca is a member of an ancient group of birds of the Cracidae family, which are related to the Australasian mound builders. It breeds in lowlands from eastern Honduras to northwestern Colombia at up to 1,100 m altitude.
Ortalis cinereiceps  Grey-headed chachalaca,Ortalis cinereiceps

Appearance

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 51 cm long and weigh 500 g. They have fairly dull plumage, dark brown above and paler below. The head is dark grey, and the blackish tail is tipped with pale grey-brown. The primary flight feathers are rufous.

It can be mistaken for the plain chachalaca, ''O. vetula'', which has an isolated population that overlaps in northern Costa Rica, but it is larger, more rufous below, has a white tail tip, and lacks rufous in the wings.
Gray-headed Chacalaca pair Not sure if that kiss was stolen or not. At any rate, we stayed at the La Cusinga lodge in Costa Rica where they had what we christened "The Terrace of Dreams". It was a large terrace built at tree canopy level in the rainforest with a view of the Pacific Ocean and it was heaven. You could relax there all day in a comfortable chair with a cold drink and watch the upper canopy wildlife (birds, monkeys, reptiles) in style - much better than a rainforest canopy "walkway". These were fairly common and fun to watch. Costa Rica,Geotagged,Grey-headed chachalaca,La Cusinga,Ortalis cinereiceps,Spring

Behavior

The grey-headed chachalaca is less noisy than plain or rufous-vented chachalacas. It has a peeping ''white, white, white'' contact call and a chorus of raucous ''kraaak'' sounds, but does not give the ''chachalaca'' call of its relatives.

This is a social bird, often seen in family groups of 6–12. It walks along branches seeking the fruit and berries on which it feeds, or flies off with an ani-like flap and glide.
Grey-headed chachalaca - Ortalis cinereiceps Arenal National Park, Costa Rica. Costa Rica,Geotagged,Grey-headed chachalaca,Ortalis cinereiceps,Spring

Reproduction

The grey-headed chachalaca is an arboreal species, found in thickets with emergent trees. The broad shallow nest is built of twigs and vines 1–3 m up in a tree, often partially screened by vines. The female lays three or four large rough-shelled white eggs and incubates them alone.

References:

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Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAves
OrderGalliformes
FamilyCracidae
GenusOrtalis
SpeciesO. cinereiceps
Photographed in
Costa Rica