Caracara plancus

Caracara plancus (Information about this image)

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Falconiformes

Familia: Falconidae
Subfamilia: Caracarinae
Genus: Caracara
Species: Caracara plancus
Subspecies: C. p. cheriway – C. p. plancus
Name

Caracara plancus (J.F. Miller, 1777)

Type locality: Tierra del Fuego.

Synonyms

Falco plancus (protonym)
Polyborus plancus (J.F. Miller, 1777)

References
Primary references

Miller, J.F. 1776–1782. Various subjects of Natural History, wherein are delineated Birds, Animals and many curious Plants. BHL [Icones Animalium et Plantarum] 9 pp. + 54 tt.Reference page. : pt.3: pl. 17 BHL

Additional references

Fuchs, J., Johnson, J.A. & Mindell, D.P. 2012. Molecular systematics of the caracaras and allies (Falconidae: Polyborinae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data. Ibis 154(3): 520-532. DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-919X.2012.01222.x Reference page.

Vernacular names
azərbaycanca: Adi qarqar
brezhoneg: Karakara-kuch ar c'hreisteiz
čeština: Karančo jižní
dansk: Stribet gribbefalk
Deutsch: Schopfkarakara
English: Crested Caracara
Esperanto: Suda karakaro
español: Carancho
français: Caracara huppé
Avañe'ẽ: Karakara
magyar: Bóbitás karakara
日本語: カンムリカラカラ
lietuvių: Paprastoji karakara
Nederlands: Kuifcaracara
polski: Karakara czarnobrzucha
português: Carcará
Runa Simi: Qaranchu
русский: Обыкновенная каракара
українська: Звичайна каракара

The crested caracara (Caracara plancus) is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found from the southern United States through Central and South America to Tierra del Fuego. It was formerly placed in the genus Polyborus.

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 Tierra del Fuego.[2][3] Individuals from the colder southern part of its range average larger than those from tropical regions (as predicted by Bergmann's rule) and are the largest type of caracara. In fact, they are the second-largest species of falcon in the world by mean body mass, second only to the gyrfalcon.[3] The cap, belly, thighs, most of the wings, and tail tip are dark brownish, the auriculars (feathers surrounding the ear), throat, and nape are whitish-buff, and the chest, neck, mantle, back, upper tail coverts, crissum (the undertail coverts surrounding the cloaca), and basal part of the tail are whitish-buff barred dark brownish. In flight, the outer primaries show a large conspicuous whitish-buff patch ('window'), as in several other species of caracaras. The legs are yellow and the bare facial skin and cere 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.

Behavior

A bold, opportunistic raptor, the crested caracara is often seen walking around on the ground looking for food. It mainly feeds on carcasses of dead animals, but steals food from other raptors, raids bird nests, and takes live prey if the possibility arises (mostly insects or other small prey, but at least up to the size of a snowy egret). It may also eat fruit. It is dominant over the black and turkey vulture at carcasses. The crested caracara takes live prey that has been flushed by wildfire, cattle, and farming equipment. 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.[4] 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.

Distribution and habitat

The crested caracara occurs from Tierra del Fuego in southernmost South America north to the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America. An isolated population occurs on the Falkland Islands. It avoids the Andean highlands and dense humid forest, such as the Amazon rainforest, where it is largely restricted to relatively open sections along major rivers. Otherwise, it occurs in virtually any open or semiopen habitat and is often found near humans.

Reports have been made of the crested caracara as far north as San Francisco, California.[5] and, in 2012, near Crescent City, California.[6] Some are believed to possibly be living in Nova Scotia, with numerous sightings throughout the 2010s.[7] In July 2016 a northern caracara was reported and photographed by numerous people in the upper peninsula of Michigan, just outside of Munising.[8][9][10] In June 2017, a northern caracara was sighted far north in St. George, New Brunswick, Canada.[11] 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 relict population of northern caracaras that dates to the last glacial period, which ended around 12,500 BP. At that time, Florida and the rest of the Gulf Coast were covered in an oak savanna. As temperatures increased, the savanna between Florida and Texas disappeared.[12] Caracaras were able to survive in the prairies of central Florida and the marshes along the St. Johns River. Cabbage palmettos are a preferred nesting site, although they also nest in southern live oaks.[13] Their historical range on the modern-day Florida peninsula included Okeechobee, Osceola, Highlands, Glades, Polk, Indian River, St. Lucie, Hardee, DeSoto, Brevard, Collier, and Martin counties.[14] They are currently most common in DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Okeechobee, and Osceola Counties.[15] It has been seen on the East Coast as far as extreme eastern Seminole County, Florida (Lake Harney), where it is now considered a resident, but listed as threatened.
Crested caracara in Mexico

Mexican ornithologist Rafael Martín del Campo proposed that the northern caracara was probably the sacred "eagle" depicted in several pre-Columbian Aztec codices, as well as the Florentine Codex. This imagery was adopted as a national symbol of Mexico, and is seen on the flag, among other places. Since the paintings were interpreted as showing the golden eagle, it became the national bird.[16]
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.[17] Many Texans incorrectly refer to the caracara as the “Mexican Eagle”[18]
Status

Throughout most of its range, its occurrence is common to very common. It is likely to benefit from the widespread deforestation in tropical South America, so is considered to be of least concern by BirdLife International.
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Caracara plancus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22733377A95058702. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22733377A95058702.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Info about the southern caracara at Zootierliste.de
CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses, 2nd Edition by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (2008), ISBN 978-1-4200-6444-5.
Dunne, Pete (2012). Hawks in flight : the flight identification of North American raptors (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-395--70959-7.
"Rare Raptors". Golden Gate Raptor Observatory. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
"caracara sighting record". Project Noah. 13 February 2012.
"What's this crested caracara doing in Nova Scotia? | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
Scot, Stewart. "News". Nature Photography by Scot Stewart. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
Bernard, Daryl. "Crested Caracara". iNaturalist.org. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
"Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Instagram". Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
Corbett, Tanya. "News". CBC News. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
"Chapter VIII. Florida Relict Species". Resource Guide. Indian River Lagoon Envirothon. Retrieved 23 January 2009.[dead link]
"Audubon's Crested Caracara" (PDF). South Florida Ecological Services Office. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
Morrison, J.L. (October 2004). "The Crested Caracara in the changing grasslands of Florida" (PDF). In Noss, R. (ed.). Land of Fire and Water: The Florida Dry Prairie Ecosystem. Proceedings of the Florida Dry Prairie Conference, October 2004. Sebring, Florida. pp. 211–215.
"Species Profile: Crested Caracara". Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
González Block, Miguel A. (2004). "El Iztaccuahtli y el Águila Mexicana: ¿Cuauhtli o Águila Real?". Arqueología Mexicana (in Spanish). XII (70): 60–65. Archived from the original on 2009-02-16.
Möllhausen, Balduin (1858). Diary of a Journey from the Mississippi to Coasts of the Pacific With a United States Government Expedition. Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts. p. 45.

"Caracara, Mexican Eagles in Texas". texasescapes.com. Retrieved 2022-02-23.