Ortalis ruficauda (*)
Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Pangalloanserae
Cladus: Galloanseres
Ordo: Galliformes
Subordo: Craci
Familia: Cracidae
Genus: Ortalis
Species: Ortalis ruficauda
Subspecies: O. r. baliola – O. r. lamprophonia – O. r. ruficauda – O. r. ruficrissa
Name
Ortalis ruficauda Jardine, 1847
References
Primary references
Annals and Magazine of Natural History (1) 20 p. 374
Additional references
Phelps, William H. Jr. & Meyer de Schauensee, Rodolphe 1978: Una guía de las Aves de Venezuela. Graficas Armitano C.A. Caracas. 484p.
Gremone, Carlos, Cervigón, F., Gorzula, S., Medina, G. & D. Novoa 1986: Fauna de Venezuela. Vertebrados. Editorial Biosfera, Caracas, Venezuela. 318p. ISBN 980-210-011-0
La Marca, Enrique 1997: Vertebrados de Venezuela Actuales y fósiles. Museo de Ciencia y Tecnologia, Merida Venezuela 300p. ISBN 980-221-877-4
Vernacular names
English: Rufous-vented Chachalaca
suomi: Punaperäkaklattaja
svenska: Rostgumpad chachalaca
The rufous-vented chachalaca (Ortalis ruficauda) is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which are related to the Australasian mound builders. It inhabits northeast Colombia and northern Venezuela where it is called guacharaca, and the island of Tobago in Trinidad and Tobago where it is known as the cocrico and is one of the country's two national birds (being featured on the country's coat of arms). It is also found on Bequia and Union Island in the Grenadines where it may have been introduced.
Habitat
The rufous-vented chachalaca is a largely arboreal species found in forest and woodland, but it is also found in more open dry scrubby areas. This combined with relatively low hunting pressure, make it far less vulnerable than larger members of the family, notably curassows.
Description
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 53–58 cm long; the female weighs 540g and the larger male 640g. They have fairly dull plumage, dark brown above and paler below. The head is grey, and the brown tail is tipped rufous or white depending on race.
Call
As other chachalacas, the rufous-vented chachalaca is a very noisy species, preferring to execute their vocal feats at dawn. The male's call is a loud low ka-ka-rooki-rooki-ka, answered by the female's high-pitched watch-a-lak, which they often repeat several times in a row, in precise synchronization.
Calls of a male and female guacharaca
Duration: 22 seconds.0:22
Recorded before dawn, in Caraballeda, Venezuela.
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Breeding and behaviour
The species is a social bird, often seen in family groups. It walks along branches seeking the fruit (such as mangoes, berries and those from the Euterpe palm), leaves[2] and seeds on which it feeds. It is an able flyer that can even take off and fly vertically, but does not usually fly long distances. The twig nest is built low in a tree, and three or four large white eggs are laid. The female incubates them alone.
Subspecies
There are two subspecies:
O. r. ruficauda (Jardine, 1847) - northeast Colombia to northern Venezuela, also Tobago and Isla Margarita
O. r. ruficrissa (Sclater and Salvin, 1870) - northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela
References
BirdLife International. (2023). "Ortalis ruficauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2023: e.T22678315A234028245. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T22678315A234028245.en. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
"Ortalis ruficauda (Rufous-vented Chachalaca or Cocrico)" (PDF). The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago. UWI.
Evans, Peter (1990). Birds of the Eastern Caribbean. Macmillan, ISBN 0-333-52155-2
ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd ed.). Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.
Hilty, Steven L (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
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