Chachalaca in My Garden & Cousin in Nicaragua

I was thrilled this morning at breakfast when this large bird walked across my lawn and into my garden!

Gray-headed Chachalaca, in my garden, Atenas Costa Rica
Possibly a juvenile since a little smaller than some I’ve seen

This turkey-sized bird is a cousin to the guans which we also have all over Central America. I saw a similar Plain Chachalaca at Montibelli in Nicaragua high in a tree behind a lot of limbs, so no good photo. But I did get several good photos of the Highland Guan while at El Jaguar and here are two of those photos. Guans and Chachalacas are in the same family with similar size and look.

Highland Guan, El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

Highland Guan, El Jaguar Nature Reserve, Nicaragua

In my Costa Rica Birds photo gallery see my photos of a Black Guan at Monteverde, Costa Rica; a Gray-headed Chachalaca at Turrialba, Costa Rica; Great Curassows (another cousin) from different places in Costa Rica; and in separate travel galleries a Crested Guan at Isla Barro Colorado, Panama; and a Gray-headed Chachalaca in the Gamboa Rainforest of Panama. I’ve also seen Chachalacas in Guatemala and Mexico, but I will stop with these as a fun set of birds!

About Chachalaca on Wikipedia
About Guans on Wikipedia
About Curassows on Wikipedia

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