Animalia Life

Ortalis ruficauda
SUBFAMILY
Penelopinae
TAXONOMY
Ortalida ruficauda Jardine, 1847, Tobago. Two subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Rufous-tailed chachalaca, rufous-tipped chachalaca; French: Otalide а ventre roux; German: Rotschwanzguan; Spanish: Chachalaca Culirroja.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
20.1–24 in (53–61 cm); 15.2–28.2 oz (430–800 g). Rufous undertail coverts, grayish belly. Immature resembles adult.
DISTRIBUTION
This species occurs in northeastern Colombia, northern Venezuela, and Tobago.
HABITAT
Lowland forest and thorny brush. Often found near water in gallery forest and along rivers.
BEHAVIOR
Its native name, “guacharaca,” is a good reproduction of its call. It calls loudly during moonlight, but its fullest choruses are heard at daybreak. During the rainy season, it calls on and off all morning.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Leaves, shoots, fruits, and flowers. Usually forages in trees in groups of 4–20.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nests are often built in trees 3–10 ft (1–3 m) off the ground. The nest itself is typically made of twigs and leaves. The clutch size is typically three to four eggs with incubation lasting approximately 28 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Sometimes consumed for food.

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