Caracaras
Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in the subfamily Polyborinae, but are sometimes considered part of their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae.
Unlike the Falco falcons in the same family, the birds in the five relevant genera are not fast-flying aerial hunters, but are comparatively slow and are often scavengers (a notable exception being the Red-throated Caracara).
Distribution / Range
Caracaras are principally birds of South and Central America, just reaching the southern United States.
The range of the Northern Caracara extends as far north as the states of Arizona, Texas, and Florida in the United States.
On the other hand, the Striated Caracara inhabits the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego, just off the coast of the southernmost tip of South America.
The species are:
- Genus Daptrius
- D. ater Vieillot, 1816 - Black Caracara
- Genus Ibycter
- I. americanus Boddaert, 1783 - Red-throated Caracara (formerly in Daptrius)
- Genus Phalcoboenus
- P. carunculatus Des Murs, 1853 - Carunculated Caracara
- P. megalopterus Meyen, 1834 - Mountain Caracara
- P. albogularis Gould, 1837 - White-throated Caracara
- P. australis Gmelin, 1788 - Striated Caracara
- Genus Caracara Merrem, 1826
- C. cheriway Jacquin, 1784 - Northern (or Crested) Caracara
- C. plancus Miller, 1777 - Southern Caracara
- C. lutosa Ridgway, 1876 - Guadalupe Caracara (Extinct, 1903)
- Genus Milvago
- M. chimachima Vieillot, 1816 - Yellow-headed Caracara
- M. chimango Vieillot, 1816 - Chimango Caracara
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