Crested caracara

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Crested caracara
Crested Carakara.jpg

Crested caracara ( Caracara plancus )

Systematics
Order : Falk-like (falconiformes)
Family : Falconies (Falconidae)
Subfamily : Vulture falcon (Polyborinae)
Genre : Crested Karakaras ( Caracara )
Type : Crested caracara
Scientific name
Caracara plancus
( Miller , 1777)
Young bird

The crested caracara ( Caracara plancus ) is a falcon-like bird native to central and southern South America .

features

The crested carakara is 54 to 66 cm long and has a wingspan of 108 to 144 cm. The tail length is 23 to 28 cm. Males stay smaller, they reach about 91% the size of the females (calculated from the mean values ​​of the wingspan). Animals from the southern range are larger than those from further north.

The bird is mostly dark brown in color, with a black crown, a white head and a bare red face. The chest, neck and long tail are banded in black and white. The tail ends in a wide black band. The tops of the wings are dark brown. The beak is blue-gray, the iris brown, legs and feet are yellow. Young birds are lighter, the underside is brown. Overall, young birds are less contrasting in color, more dashed than banded.

Occurrence

The crested caracara lives, with the exception of the Amazon region , in all of Brazil , in eastern Bolivia , in Paraguay and Uruguay and, with the exception of the northern Andes , in all of Chile and Argentina and on the Falkland Islands . He prefers open landscapes, such as savannas, cattle ranches, and goes in mountains at heights of up to 1400 meters.

behavior

Unlike the falcons (genus Falco ), the crested caracara is not a fast-flying hunter, but spends a lot of time on the ground. With its long legs and toes, it is well adapted to running in open spaces. Prey includes invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, and occasionally small birds and mammals. It mainly feeds on carrion and is sometimes found on larger carcasses together with vultures . In contrast to these, it does not sail, but flies with powerful and noisy wing beats. Therefore it can go looking for food earlier than the vultures, which rely on the warm updrafts of the morning, and finds carrion earlier than these.

Reproduction

Crested caracara eggs

The crested caracara's nesting habits are unusual for a hawk as it builds its own nest instead of using the abandoned eyrie of a species of raptor. The large nest of twigs and tendrils is often on the ground. The clutch of 2-4 eggs is incubated for about a month. After they have fledged, the young birds are sometimes fed for several months.

literature

  • Ferguson-Lees & Christie: The world's birds of prey. (German by Volker Dierschke and Jochen Dierschke). Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-440-11509-1 .
  • Christopher M. Perrins : The Great Encyclopedia of Birds. From the English, Orbis-Verlag, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-572-00810-7 , p. 108.
  • Martin R. De LA Pena: Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica (Collins Illustrated Checklist). Harpercollins Pub Ltd, ISBN 0002200775 .

Web links

Commons : Crested Carakara ( Caracara plancus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files