Boom chakalaca!

A chicken-like bird called the chachalaca. It's an arboreal bird that got its name from its call. ©Teresa Shumaker

"Boom shakalaca" is a sound made in basketball after someone has made a slam dunk. "Boom chakalaca" is the sound I got stuck in my head after seeing this unique bird from Mexico called the chachalaca (pronounced cha-cha-la-ka).
                                                                                                                             

Plain Chachalaca. ©Teresa Shumaker

 I first saw this bird last week while out touring the local hot spots with the president of the local Audubon Society.
It was great fun, and I am thrilled to know that anywhere I move from now on I have a way of quickly meeting people who enjoy the same activities as I.
We spent five hours driving around, looking at birds and other wildlife, and since he is a photographer too, he knew how to stop the car just right so I could get some great photos.

Although it is plain, it sure is pretty. ©Teresa Shumaker

The only way to tell the males apart from the females is the males have a bright red throat. ©Teresa Shumaker

Looking very chicken-like from this angle. ©Teresa Shumaker

Vogue, strike a pose. ©Teresa Shumaker

P.S. I just discovered that the Cornell Institute has a great app called Merlin that helps ID birds based on a simple series of questions.

It only has about 300 of the 995 species seen in North America, but it has most of the common ones.

I have found it very useful, and recommend it for anyone interested in learning about birds.