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with Phyllis Yochem
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Tuesday, February 1, 2000
That cursing and quarreling in the bush may be chachalacas
Large, olive-brown and gray birds may emit long purr before doing impressions of arguing thieves
I was surprised and a little shocked to see Caller-Times outdoor writer David Sikes' Jan. 23 column devoted to hunting chachalaca. He and his companion had difficulty finding any of these highly conspicuous birds. I am not so unacculturated or naive as to be shocked by hunting stories. I grew up in South Texas and have a husband who hunted, as well as sons and grandsons who presently hunt.
The older men in the family have about worn out the impulse, or at least it seems not to be so compelling to them any more, but the 16-year-old grandson is hot on the trail. He takes pleasure in telling me of his exploits.
It is the old cocktail party syndrome, where macho friends used to herd me into a corner and begin, "Phyllis, we've had bluebirds at the ranch this year, but I think we have about shot all of them now.'' Of course there wasn't a word of truth in it. They hoped to see me squirm.
But shooting chachalaca! I was as horrified as I was when I discovered that rails and purple gallinules were game birds or that sandhill cranes were "very good eating.''
Plain chachalaca are about as game as your average chicken, hen, that is. Chachalacas are indeed game birds but on the order of introduced species. They have not done very well, because the habitat they need is constantly decreasing. They hardly ever reproduce in captivity, so it is difficult to produce a new flock for relocation.
These strange critters belong to the curassow family, a tropical New World group, many members of which are characterized by crests and wattles. Plain chachalacas are large olive-brown and gray birds with small heads and slight crests. Their long tails have a greenish gloss. A red patch of bare skin shows through on their throats. Bills, legs and toes are a light horn blue and eyes are light brown.
Actually, since they are almost always seen in shadow, they don't look like much. But the sounds they make: Imagine wild thieves, camped in the bush, cursing and quarreling among themselves, threatening, with an occasional blow thrown in.
They are most often heard early in the morning or at evening, especially during thunderstorms or in the nesting season. Sometimes their faraway protests come from thickets and tall stands of brush and chaparral which flocks frequent. The uproar may be preceded by a long, drawn-out purr, a warning note. You don't "think you hear'' chachalacas. . .you hear them.
And sometimes they say, "keep it up, keep it up.'' There is no doubt they are egging each other on to administer torture to a hapless victim. Some of the crew hysterically urge the meanest ones to, "hit him again, hit him again.'' An old male belts out a bass "chachalaca,'' while the soprano female chimes in with a chorus of young birds' scratchy falsettos, until you are sure they have "hit him again.'' The male's voice is deeper and coarser due to his looped trachea.
Several people know where to find them, but mostly they are not telling. I asked Charlie Hoffman, a good authority on such things, if he approved of hunting them. He replied characteristically, "Heck no, I don't have problem with hunting them, it is just the shootin' of them that makes me put wrinkles in my saddle.''
He did say that they tend to congregate near huisache swamps in the understory. . ."in places surrounded by sugar hackberry trees, granjeno, yaupon holly and cattle manure.''
If you want to see them, not hunt them, the place to go is Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, around the picnic area and campground. Plain chachalacas compete there with green jays and greater roadrunners for handouts from campers.
Phyllis Yochem, a Corpus Christi
resident, has studied birds of Texas since 1960.
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