CreatureData

Chestnut-headed chachalaca

Ortalis ruficeps (Wagler, 1830)

Status not recordedbirds

The chestnut-headed chachalaca (Ortalis ruficeps) is a species in the family Cracidae, order Galliformes. Recorded adults weigh 385 g to 476.2 g.

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Quick facts about the chestnut-headed chachalaca

Weight
385 g – 476.2 g
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Egg incubation
28 days
Young per litter or clutch
3
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the chestnut-headed chachalaca live?

Not recorded

Is the chestnut-headed chachalaca endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the chestnut-headed chachalaca classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderGalliformes
  5. familyCracidae
  6. genusOrtalis
  7. SpeciesOrtalis ruficeps (Wagler, 1830)

Synonyms Ortalida motmot, Ortalida ruficeps, Ortalis motmot ruficeps, Penelope ruficeps

Other names and names in other languages (22)
  • Variable chachalaca (chestnut-headed)English
  • شاشالاكا كستنائي الرأسArabic
  • čačalaka hnědohlaváCzech
  • Kastanjehovedet ChachalacaDanish
  • MaronenkopfguanGerman
  • brunkapa ĉaĉalakoEsperanto
  • Chachalaca con Cabeza CastañaSpanish
  • Petite OrtalideFrench
  • KastanjekopchachalacaDutch
  • kastanjehodehokkoNorwegian
  • czakalaka małaPolish
  • aracuãzinhoPortuguese
  • Каштановоголовая чачалакаRussian
  • čačalaka hrdzavohlaváSlovak
  • Čačalaka kestenjaste glaveSerbian
  • brunhuvad chachalacaSwedish
  • Güneyli Küçük ÇaçakalaTurkish
  • чачалака бразильськаUkrainian
  • 栗头小冠雉Chinese
  • aracuã-de-cabeça-avermelhadaPortuguese
  • chachalaca-paraensePortuguese
  • 栗頭稚冠雉Chinese

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the chestnut-headed chachalaca

Other species in the same genus Ortalis.

CompareChestnut-headed chachalaca vs Plain chachalacaChestnut-headed chachalaca vs Rufous-vented chachalacaChestnut-headed chachalaca vs Chaco chachalacaChestnut-headed chachalaca vs Speckled chachalaca

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the chestnut-headed chachalaca?

An adult chestnut-headed chachalaca weighs 385 g – 476.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the chestnut-headed chachalaca?

The chestnut-headed chachalaca (Ortalis ruficeps) belongs to the family Cracidae in the order Galliformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Chestnut-headed chachalaca (Ortalis ruficeps). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/chestnut-headed-chachalaca

MLA

“Chestnut-headed chachalaca (Ortalis ruficeps).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/chestnut-headed-chachalaca.

BibTeX
@misc{chestnut_headed_chachalaca_2026,
  title = {Chestnut-headed chachalaca (Ortalis ruficeps)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/chestnut-headed-chachalaca},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}