Birds · La Saladita, Guerrero

West Mexican Chachalaca

Ortalis poliocephala

Spanish: Chachalaca occidental

The West Mexican chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala) is a species of bird in the Cracidae family. It is found only in Mexico, more specifically in Pacific-slope (and adjacent interior) thorn forest from Jalisco to Oaxaca. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

TaxonomyAves › Galliformes › Cracidae

Local records243 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)

Global records3,427 on iNaturalist

Most recent records2026 – 2026

Months of the 8 most recent records

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Recent local sightings

2026-09-06 — observation by cvanduelmen
2026-08-25 — observation by jimegu
2026-08-16 — observation by carlosviesca
2026-08-14 — observation by luis-eduardo
2026-08-13 — observation by luis-eduardo
2026-08-11 — observation by luis-eduardo

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Birds guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “West Mexican Chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/ortalis-poliocephala/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.