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Gray-headed Chachalaca Ortalis cinereiceps
This species is found mainly in southern Central America and the northern tip of South America, but just reaches into our region in the Mosquitia and Olancho of eastern Honduras. My only sightings in the region have been in the Mosquitia, where they are a fairly common bird along the Rio Platano. Skutch mentions that this species tends to avoid the deep forest and stay in the more open areas, so they may have benefited from the clearing of land along the river. I have not come across them during the day, but they are often located at dawn and dusk by their vocalizations, which are made from the tops of tall, open trees. One of the local families at Las Marias had a captive bird, which was presumably being kept for eggs or meat. I have not seen other cracids being kept this way, though it seems that it is not that uncommon with this species as Alexander Skutch kept two birds and devoted a chapter to them in his book ‘Trogons, Laughing Falcons and other Neotropical Birds’ and I have also seen it mentioned elsewhere.
Captive Grey-head Chach Mosquitia Dec 04 (1) Grey-head Chacha Moaquitia Dec 04