Speckled chachalaca


The speckled chachalaca is a species of bird in the family Cracidae. It is found in forests and woodlands in the western Amazon Basin. It has distinct white scaling/spotting on the lower neck and chest, but otherwise it resembles other chachalacas, it being vaguely pheasant-like, and with an overall brown plumage.

Taxonomy

Several taxa formerly included as subspecies of the speckled chachalaca have been considered valid species: the scaled chachalaca in south-eastern Brazil, and the East Brazilian chachalaca in eastern Brazil. The last of these has also been referred to as the Brazilian chachalaca or the white-bellied chachalaca, although the former arguably is problematic as numerous other chachalacas are found in Brazil, while the latter leads to easy confusion with the Central American Ortalis leucogastra. Alternatively, "araucuan" and "squamata" have been included as subspecies of the little chachalaca. Both O. araucuan and O. squamata were originally described as valid species, but – without reason – changed to subspecies of O. guttata. Nevertheless, they all have white scaling/spotting on the lower neck and chest, thus resembling the Amazonian nominate group, and most recent authorities continue to treat all as subspecies of O. guttata.
The Colombian chachalaca was formerly considered a subspecies in this group, but is now recognized as a separate species by the South American Classification Committee of the AOU and the IOC.

Status

It is common in large parts of its Amazonian range. Nevertheless, its tolerance of disturbed habitats combined with its relatively small size makes it far less vulnerable than, for instance, the related curassows.