MythscribeMundus
THE NATURAL & IMAGINED WORLDAn illustrated compendium
NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Gray-headed Chachalaca

Ortalis cinereiceps G. R. Gray, 1867

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Open encyclopedia reference

The grey-headed chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps) is a member of an ancient group of birds in the family Cracidae, which includes chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is found from Honduras to Colombia.

Wikipedia contributors, Grey-headed chachalaca; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:53:57.412267+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Ortalis cinereiceps G. R. Gray, 1867
Name authority
G. R. Gray, 1867
Common name
Gray-headed Chachalaca
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Galliformes
Family
Cracidae
Genus
Ortalis
Extinction status
Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classAves
  9. orderGalliformes
  10. familyCracidae
  11. subfamilyPenelopinae
  12. genusOrtalis Merrem, 1786
  13. speciesOrtalis cinereiceps G. R. Gray, 1867

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Ortalis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Buff-browed ChachalacaOrtalis superciliaris G. R. Gray, 1867CracidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Colombian ChachalacaOrtalis columbiana Hellmayr, 1906CracidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
East Brazilian ChachalacaOrtalis araucuan (Spix, 1825)CracidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Chaco ChachalacaOrtalis canicollis (Wagler, 1830)CracidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Rufous-headed ChachalacaOrtalis erythroptera P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1870CracidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Rufous-bellied ChachalacaOrtalis wagleri G. R. Gray, 1867CracidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 31 records assigned to Cracidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Middle America

South America

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=553805 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:6T9GQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.