The large seeds they disperse through defecation support the maintenance of diverse tropical forests.

He based his observations on specimens in the Bavarian State Museum that had been obtained during Johann Baptist von Spix’s 1817-1820 expedition to South America.

Hellmayr noted significant differences in the plumage of two specimens that separated them from the Speckled chachalaca that von Spix had previously described.

The breast feathers are grey with prominent white scalloping, a distinguishing characteristic compared to the similar-looking speckled chachalaca.

It was once a fairly widespread species, but after many years of hunting pressure and habitat loss it has been extirpated from many former range areas.

[7][10][11] The Colombian chachalaca is a bird of the upper tropical zone, typically found on the edges of dry to humid forests and mature second growth.

[7][10][12][13] Colombian chachalacas are arboreal, spending most of their time in forests where they typically forage from the mid-level to the canopy.

In the Cauca valley their diet was found to comprise 26 species of plants, including fruits (77.2%), leaves (16.2%), and flowers (3.6%).

Many of the seeds defecated by Colombian chachalacas were shown to germinate at a higher rate than those extracted directly from fruit.

Similarly, though the population size has not been quantified, it does not appear meet the Vulnerable criteria of under 10 000 individuals with a continuing decline of 10% per ten years.