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Plain chachalaca

Ortalis vetula · Upland game birds

Plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula): Large, long-tailed, small-headed; 50-66 cm, 680 g-1.1 kg. Dull olive brown, greyer head, buff belly; may show red on the throat. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the plain chachalaca map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Ortalis vetula
Family
Cracidae
In North America
Native
Range
Extreme southern Texas (Rio Grande Valley) south through Mexico and Central America; NatureServe also records it in Georgia.
Biology

How to identify it

Large, long-tailed, small-headed; 50-66 cm, 680 g-1.1 kg. [1][2][3]

Dull olive brown, greyer head, buff belly; may show red on the throat. [1][2][3]

Wide black tail feathers with white tips; sexes similar. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Subtropical woods, river groves and dense brush, usually near water in south Texas; native ebony, hackberry, huisache and mesquite woodland and overgrown orchard edges. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Loud, raucous 'cha-cha-lac', often in chorus at dawn and dusk; male's voice lower than female's [1][2][3]

Forages on the ground or in shrubs and trees, climbing about in thin branches [1][2][3]

Mostly vegetarian: berries (coyotillo, pigeonberry, hackberry), seeds, leaves, buds, flowers; a few insects and snails [1][2][3]

Nest is a stick platform 4-15 ft up in dense cover [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Extreme southern Texas (Rio Grande Valley) south through Mexico and Central America; NatureServe also records it in Georgia.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Audubon Society

  2. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  3. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology