What is "chachalaca"

Chachalaca \Cha`cha*la"ca\, n. [Native name, prob. given in imitation of its cry.] (Zo["o]l.) The Texan guan ( Ortalis vetula). [written also chiacalaca.]

n. Any of several cracid birds, of the genus ''Ortalis'', limited to the Americas, that resemble the guans.

n. slender arboreal guan resembling a wild turkey; native to Central America and Mexico; highly regarded as game birds

Chachalacas are mainly brown galliform birds from the genus Ortalis. These birds are found in wooded habitats in far southern United States ( Texas), Mexico, and Central and South America. They are social, can be very noisy and often remain fairly common even near humans, as their relatively small size makes them less desirable to hunters than their larger relatives. They somewhat resemble the guans, and the two have commonly been placed in a subfamily together, though the chachalacas are probably closer to the curassows.

The generic name is derived from the Greek word όρταλις, meaning "pullet" or " domestic hen." The common name is an onomatopoeia for the four-noted cackle of the plain chachalaca (O. vetula).

Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data tentatively suggest that the chachalacas emerged as a distinct lineage during the Oligocene, somewhere around 40–20 mya, possibly being the first lineage of modern cracids to evolve; this does agree with the known fossil record – including indeterminate, cracid-like birds – which very cautiously favors a north-to-south expansion of the family.