Plain Chachalaca

Braunflügelguan ( Ortalis Vetula)

The Braunflügelguan ( Ortalis vetula ) is a bird of the family of Hokkohühner.

Features

The 60 cm long Braunflügelguan has relatively long legs and a long neck and tail. The wings are rounded. The plumage is olive-brown on the upper side and our side yellow-brown. The dark green tail has a white tip. In the male, the featherless gray skin colored spot on the throat pink.

Occurrence

The distribution area stretches along the Rio Grande of South Texas through Mexico to the north-west of Costa Rica. He lives in forests, scrub and chaparral thickets.

Way of life

The Braunflügelguan studied in small groups of up to five animals for seeds, berries, buds and leaves in the thicket. The bird lives most of the time on trees and sometimes even tries hanging upside down to get at food. Typically give the birds in the morning and evening twilight a " croaking concert ". The squad is sleeping together in thickets; small young birds sleep under the wing of a parent animal.

The nest is a small platform of twigs, which will be built in the dense foliage about half the height of trees. Three eggs are incubated for 30 days. The young birds can climb immediately after hatching and fly within a week; but they are independent until about three weeks from their parents.