The plain chachalaca is 18-24 inches (46–61 cm) in length with a wingspan of 26 inches (66 cm).
It has a small head covered in dark brown feathers. Its back is also dark brown, and it has a lighter brown chest. It has a very long, green-tinged tail with a white tip.
The plain chachalaca lives in river woodlands and thickets. It prefers to live close to water.
The plain chachalaca eats leaves, grain, berries, buds, and sometimes insects.
The female plain chachalaca lays 3-4 eggs in a nest made of sticks and lined with moss and leaves. Occasionally, she uses the old nests of other birds. The nest is usually made in a low tree branch or on a heavy vine 3-30 feet (0.91-9.1 m) off the ground.
The eggs take 3-4 weeks to hatch, and the chicks leave the nest 2-3 weeks after they hatch.
The plain chachalaca has a lifespan of 5-8 years in the wild.
The plain chachalaca is a very noisy bird. At dawn and sunset, groups of them call loudly from the treetops.
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The plain chachalaca is found from southern Texas in the Rio Grande Valley south to Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
The plain chachalaca does not migrate.
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