chachalaca/ˌt͡ʃɑ.t͡ʃəˈlɑ.kə/EtymologyLate 19th century. From South American Spanish chachalaca, from Classical Nahuatl chachalacani (“tattler, gossiper”), from chāchalāni (“to make a hubbub, create an uproar”).nounAny of several cracid birds, of the genus Ortalis, limited to the Americas, that resemble the guans.