Caracara (genus)

Last updated

Caracara
Crested Caracara JCB.jpg
Crested caracara (Caracara plancus)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Subfamily: Polyborinae
Genus: Caracara
Merrem, 1826
Type species
Vultur plancus
Miller, JF, 1777
Species

and see text

Synonyms

Polyborus

Caracara is a genus in the family Falconidae and the subfamily Polyborinae. It contains one extant species, the crested caracara, and one recently extinct species, the Guadalupe caracara. The crested caracara had in recent years been split into a northern species C. cheriway and a southern species C. plancus, but the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society has voted to again merge the two, retaining C. plancus as the crested caracara. [1] The taxonomists of the International Ornithologists' Union have also merged them. [2]

Contents

Appearance

The crested caracara is distinguished by its long legs and medium size. [3] The birds can reach a length of 49–58 cm (19–23 in) from head to tail. [4] There are usually four points of identification of the caracara: strikingly white markings on the neck, the tip of both wings, and the tail. [5] Along with their medium length, the caracara also has a wingspan of 122–129 cm (48–51 in). [4] When flying, the caracara is often noted to have a pattern on their underside that looks like a cross. [6]

Behavior

The behaviors of caracaras are considered quite strange in relation to those of other falcons. [7] The bird is often seen walking on the ground in search of prey, using its long legs to maneuver its landscapes. [8] In addition to a preference of walking over flying, the birds also create close bonds with their mates. Caracaras are territorial creatures who are year-round landlords of trees and land that they occupy. Their aggressiveness is an extension of this, which is why they have been seen taking food from much larger creatures like vultures. [9] [10] In flight, this bird is known for having very direct flight. It does not soar for leisure. [11]

Taxonomy and fossil record

Caracara plancus Schopfkarakara.jpg
Caracara plancus

The crested caracara is the only extant species in Caracara, and was formerly separated into two species, the northern and southern crested caracaras. The modern range includes Cuba, South America, most of Central America and Mexico, just reaching the southernmost parts of the United States, including Florida. [12]

Native to Guadalupe Island off the west coast of Baja California, the Guadalupe caracara was hunted to extinction by 1906.

An additional six species have been described on the basis of fossil and subfossil records:

An unnamed Late Pleistocene species of Caracara from Argentina was the largest falcon ever, with a minimum weight estimate of around 4.5 kilograms (9.9 lb). [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falcon</span> Birds of prey in the genus Falco

Falcons are birds of prey in the genus Falco, which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bird of prey</span> Paraphyletic group of birds

Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates. In addition to speed and strength, these predators have keen eyesight for detecting prey from a distance or during flight, strong feet with sharp talons for grasping or killing prey, and powerful, curved beaks for tearing off flesh. Although predatory birds primarily hunt live prey, many species also scavenge and eat carrion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falconidae</span> Family of birds

The falcons and caracaras are around 65 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae. The family likely originated in South America during the Paleocene and is divided into three subfamilies: Herpetotherinae, which includes the laughing falcon and forest falcons; Polyborinae, which includes the spot-winged falconet and the caracaras; and Falconinae, the falcons and kestrels (Falco) and falconets (Microhierax).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caracara (subfamily)</span> Subfamily of birds

Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in subfamily Polyborinae with the forest falcons, but are sometimes considered to constitute their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or classified as members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae. Caracaras are principally birds of South and Central America, just reaching the southern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guadalupe caracara</span> Extinct species of bird

The Guadalupe caracara or mourning caracara is an extinct bird of prey belonging to the falcon family (Falconidae). It was, together with the closely related crested caracara, formerly placed in the genus Polyborus. It was also known as the quelili or the calalie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-headed caracara</span> Species of bird

The yellow-headed caracara is new-world bird of prey in the family Falconidae, of the Falconiformes order. It is found as far north as Nicaragua, south to Costa Rica and Panamá, every mainland South American country, and on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, and Trinidad and Tobago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hierofalcon</span> Subgenus of birds

The hierofalcons are four closely related species of falcon which make up the subgenus Hierofalco:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested caracara</span> Species of bird

The crested caracara, also known as the Mexican eagle, is a bird of prey in the falcon family, Falconidae. It is found from the southern and southeastern United States through Mexico 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chimango caracara</span> Species of bird

The chimango caracara also known as chimango or tiuque is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, as a vagrant on the Falkland Islands and has been introduced on Rapa Nui.

<i>Milvago</i> Genus of birds

Milvago is a genus of bird of prey in the family Falconidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carunculated caracara</span> Species of bird

The carunculated caracara is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1976.

The Jamaican caracara is a prehistoric species of terrestrial bird in the falcon family, Falconidae. It was native to the island of Jamaica in the Caribbean, where it probably inhabited dry forests in the island's south during the early Holocene. This species was described based on fossils discovered in the Skeleton Cave in the Jackson's Bay Cave system on the south coast of Portland Ridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falconiformes</span> Order of birds

The order Falconiformes is represented by the extant family Falconidae and a handful of enigmatic Paleogene species. Traditionally, the other bird of prey families Cathartidae, Sagittariidae (secretarybird), Pandionidae (ospreys), Accipitridae (hawks) were classified in Falconiformes. A variety of comparative genome analyses published since 2008, however, found that falcons are part of a clade of birds called Australaves, which also includes seriemas, parrots and passerines. Within Australaves falcons are more closely related to the parrot-passerine clade than they are to the seriemas. The hawks, vultures and owls are placed in the clade Afroaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahaman caracara</span> Extinct species of bird

The Bahaman caracara, also known as Creighton's caracara, is an extinct bird of prey. It is known only from a few fossils discovered in the Bahamas and Cuba. Caracara creightoni was a scavenger and opportunistic species instead of a predator like its sister extant species. It lived during the late Pleistocene to the beginning of the Holocene era.

Buteogallus daggetti, occasionally called "Daggett's eagle" or the "walking eagle", is an extinct species of long-legged hawk which lived in southwest North America during the Pleistocene. Initially believed to be some sort of carrion-eating eagle, it was for some time placed in the distinct genus Wetmoregyps, named for Alexander Wetmore. It probably resembled a larger version of the modern-day savanna hawk, with its long legs possibly used like the secretarybird of Africa to hunt for small reptiles from a safe distance. It died out about 13,000 years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawkwatching</span> Citizen science activity

Hawkwatching is a mainly citizen science activity where experienced volunteers count migratory raptors in an effort to survey migratory numbers. Groups of hawkwatchers often congregate along well-known migratory routes such as mountain ridges, coastlines and land bridges, where raptors ride on updrafts created by the topography. Hawkwatches are often formally or informally organized by non-profit organizations such as an Audubon chapter, state park, wildlife refuge or other important birding area. Some hawkwatches remain independent of any organizing structure.

The Cuban kestrel was a species of small falcon in the family Falconidae that was formerly endemic to the island of Cuba. It was described from fossil remains from late Quaternary deposits from several sites throughout the island.

References

  1. "South American Classification Committee". Museum.lsu.edu. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  2. Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (December 2020). "IOC World Bird List (v 10.2) Proposed Splits/Lumps". Worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  3. "Caracara | bird". Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Crested Caracara Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". Allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  5. "Crested Caracara | Bird Gallery | Houston Audubon". Houstonaudubon.org. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  6. "Crested Caracara: Not Your Everyday Falcon". Wildlatitudes.com. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  7. "Crested Caracara | Bird Gallery | Houston Audubon". Houstonaudubon.org. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  8. "Crested Caracara - Introduction". Birds of North America Online. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  9. "Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  10. "Audubon's Crested Caracara Polyborus plancus audubonii" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  11. "Crested caracara". Raptor.umn.edu. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Caracara". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 3 April 2011.
  13. Steadman, David W.; Franz, Richard; Morgan, Gary S.; Albury, Nancy A.; Kakuk, Brian; Broad, Kenneth; Franz, Shelley E.; Tinker, Keith; Pateman, Michael P.; Lott, Terry A.; Jarzen, David M.; Dilcher, David L. (2007). "Exceptionally well preserved late Quaternary plant and vertebrate fossils from a blue hole on Abaco, The Bahamas". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104 (50): 19897–19902. Bibcode:2007PNAS..10419897S. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0709572104 . PMC   2148394 . PMID   18077421.
  14. Hume, Julian P.; Walters, Michael (19 March 2012). Extinct Birds. A&C Black. ISBN   9781408158623.
  15. Jones, Washington; Rinderknecht, Andrés; Migotto, Rafael; Blanco, R. Ernesto (2013). "Body mass estimations and paleobiological inferences on a new species of large Caracara (Aves, Falconidae) from the Late Pleistocene of Uruguay". Journal of Paleontology. 87 (1): 151–158. Bibcode:2013JPal...87..151J. doi:10.1666/12-026R.1. JSTOR   23353814. S2CID   83648963.
  16. Guthrie, Daniel A. (1992). "A Late Pleistocene avifauna from San Miguel Island, California" (PDF). Los Angeles County Natural History Museum Science Series. 36: 319–327.
  17. 1 2 Jones, Washington W.; Cenizo, Marcos M.; Agnolin, Federico L.; Rinderknecht, Andrés; Blanco, R. Ernesto (1 September 2015). "The largest known falconid". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 277 (3): 361–372. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2015/0514. ISSN   0077-7749.
  18. Suárez, William; Olson, Storrs L. (1 September 2014). "A new fossil species of small crested caracara (Aves: Falconidae: Caracara) from the Pacific lowlands of western South America". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 127 (2): 299–310. doi:10.2988/0006-324X-127.2.299. S2CID   130085421.
  19. Olson, Storrs L. (2008). "A new species of large, terrestrial Caracara from Holocene deposits in southern Jamaica (Aves: Falconidae)". Journal of Raptor Research. 42 (4). The Raptor Research Foundation: 265–272. doi: 10.3356/JRR-08-18.1 . S2CID   84510858.

Further reading