Crested caracara

Crested caracara
An adult crested caracara in Serra da Canastra National Park, Brazil
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Secure  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes
Family:	Falconidae
Genus:	Caracara
Species:	C. plancus
Binomial name
Caracara plancus (Miller, JF, 1777)
Synonyms
Polyborus plancus

The crested caracara (Caracara plancus), also known as the Mexican eagle,^[3] is a bird of prey in the falcon family, Falconidae (formerly in the genus Polyborus). It is found from the southern and southeastern United States through Mexico (where it is present in every state) and Central and South America, as well as some Caribbean islands. Documented rare sightings have occurred as far north as northern Minnesota and as far south as Tierra del Fuego.

Taxonomy

In 1777, English illustrator

Two subspecies are recognised:^[6]

• C. p. cheriway (Jacquin, 1784) – United States (Southern California,^[7] Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas),^[8] México (present in every state),^[9] Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, French Guinea, and north Roraima, Brazil;^[10] Caribbean islands of Cuba, Aruba, Guanaja and Roatán (Honduras), and Trinidad; the Pacific Islas Marías (Mexico) and Isla del Rey (Panamá).^[10] Individual birds have been seen as far north as Dallas, Texas and Santa Cruz, California.^[11]
• C. p. plancus (Miller, JF, 1777) – SE Perú, N Bolivia to Eastern Brazil, south to Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands.

The subspecies C. p. cheriway was formerly classed as a separate species, with the common English name of the northern crested caracara.^[6][12]

Description

The crested caracara has a total length of 50–65 cm (20–26 in) and a wingspan of 120–132 cm (47–52 in). Its weight is 0.9–1.6 kg (2.0–3.5 lb), averaging 1,348 g (2.972 lb) in seven birds from

are deep yellow to reddish-orange. Juveniles resemble adults, but are paler, with streaking on the chest, neck, and back, grey legs, and whitish, later pinkish-purple, facial skin and cere.

• 
  Eggs,

  MHNT
• 
  Juvenile
• 
  Young adult
• 
  Adult
• 
  Adult in the Pantanal, Brazil

Behavior

A bold, opportunistic

The crested caracara takes live prey that has been flushed by wildfire, cattle, and farming equipment. Locally, it has even learnt to follow trains or cars for food thrown out.[17] The opportunistic nature of this species means that the crested caracara seeks out the phenomena associated with its food, e.g. wildfires and circling vultures.^[18] It is typically solitary, but several individuals may gather at a large food source (e.g. dumps). Breeding takes place in the Southern Hemisphere spring/summer in the southern part of its range, but timing is less strict in warmer regions. The nest is a large, open structure, typically placed on the top of a tree or palm, but sometimes on the ground. The typical clutch size is two eggs.

• 
  Young adult, showing the distinctive light 'windows' in the wings
• 
  Adult
• 
  Being

  mobbed by a fork-tailed flycatcher
• 
  Young adult perched on a cactus,

  BES Islands
• 
  Northern crested caracara (Caracara plancus cheriway), Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado County, Texas, USA
• 
  An immature bird surveying the surroundings in Texas, USA
• 
  An adult in Panama Viejo, Panama foraging for food.

Distribution and habitat

The crested caracara occurs from

, where it is largely restricted to relatively open sections along major rivers. Otherwise, it occurs in virtually any open or semi-open habitat and is often found near humans.

Reports have been made of the crested caracara as far north as San Francisco, California.^[19] and, in 2012, near Crescent City, California.^[20] Some are believed to possibly be living in Nova Scotia, with numerous sightings throughout the 2010s.^[21] In July 2016 a northern caracara was reported and photographed by numerous people in the upper peninsula of Michigan, just outside of Munising.^[22][23][24] In June 2017, a northern caracara was sighted far north in St. George, New Brunswick, Canada.^[25] A specimen was photographed in Woodstock, Vermont in March 2020.^{[citation needed]} The species has recently become more common in central and north Texas and is generally common in south Texas and south of the US border.^{[citation needed]} It can also be found (nesting) in the Southern Caribbean (e.g. Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire)^{[citation needed]}, Mexico, and Central America.

Florida caracara

Florida is home to a

. In February 2023 a crested caracara was identified in St, Johns County, Florida and documented by The St. Johns County Audubon Society on their social media page.

Crested caracara in Mexico

Mexican

Texan eagle

Balduin Möllhausen, the German artist accompanying the 1853 railroad survey (led by Lt. Amiel Weeks Whipple) from the Canadian River to California along the 35th parallel, recounted observing what he called the "Texan Eagle", which, in his account, he identified as Audubon's Polyborus vulgaris. This sighting occurred in the Sans Bois Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma.^[31]

Status

Throughout most of its range, its occurrence is common to very common. It is likely to benefit from the widespread

.

References

Further reading

• Dove, C. & R. Banks. 1999. A Taxonomic study of Crested Caracaras (Falconidae). Wilson Bull. 111(3): 330–339. Available online (PDF) Archived 2012-03-02 at the Wayback Machine
• Ferguson-Lees, J., D. Christie, P. Burton, K. Franklin & D. Mead (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm.
  ISBN 0-7136-8026-1
• Restall, R., C. Rodner, & M. Lentino (2006). Birds of Northern South America. Vol. 1 & 2. Helm, London.
  ISBN 0-7136-7243-9
  (vol. 2)
• Schulenberg, T., D. Stotz, D. Lane, J. O'Neill, & T. Parker III (2007). Birds of Peru. Helm, London.
  ISBN 978-0-7136-8673-9

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caracara plancus.

• Photos and text – arthurgrosset.com
• Photos and text – faunaparaguay.com