The little chachalaca is a bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela and possibly Colombia.
Region
Guiana Shield
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland tropical forests of northern Brazil, the Guianas, and eastern Venezuela, with possible occurrence in adjacent Colombia. Prefers evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, gallery forests, and forest edges. Frequently uses secondary growth, riverine thickets, and wooded savannas. Often found near human-modified habitats such as plantations and fallows where fruiting trees are present.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Little chachalacas are social, often heard before they’re seen thanks to loud, dawn choruses of chattering calls. They play an important role as seed dispersers for many forest plants. The species tolerates edges and secondary growth, sometimes venturing near farms and villages. Although locally hunted, it persists where forest cover remains.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides
Social Behavior
Usually in small family parties or loose groups that forage together and deliver group choruses at dawn. Generally monogamous; nests are simple platforms of sticks and leaves placed in dense vegetation or trees. Clutches are small, typically two to three eggs, and both parents help guard the brood.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are loud, harsh, and rhythmic, often rendered as repeated chattering and rattling phrases that carry far through the forest. Groups often call in overlapping sequences at dawn and dusk, while softer clucks and contact notes are given while foraging.
Plumage
Mostly brown to olive-brown with slightly paler, grayish-brown underparts and faint scaling on the neck and chest. Long, dark tail with a buffy tip; rufous primaries show in flight. Texture is sleek with loosely held tail feathers giving a lanky appearance.
Diet
Primarily consumes fruits and berries from a variety of forest trees and shrubs. Also takes buds, young leaves, flowers, and seeds when fruit is scarce. Occasionally supplements diet with small invertebrates. By swallowing fruits whole and defecating seeds, it contributes significantly to forest regeneration.
Preferred Environment
Feeds from low to mid-canopy and along forest edges, often moving between fruiting trees. Frequently forages in secondary growth, gallery forests, and plantations where fruit resources are abundant.
