![Southern crested caracara (Caracara plancus) in flight](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Southern_crested_caracara_%28Caracara_plancus%29_in_flight.JPG)
Caracaras are
birds of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...
in the family
Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in subfamily Polyborinae with the
forest falcon
Forest falcons are members of the genus ''Micrastur'', part of the family Falconidae. They are endemic to the Americas, found from Mexico in the north, south through Central America and large parts of South America, and as far south as northern A ...
s, but are sometimes considered to constitute their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or classified as members of the true falcon subfamily,
Falconinae
Falconinae is a subfamily of falconid birds of prey that includes 44 species in three genera. It includes ''Microhierax'' (the typical falconets), ''Polihierax'' (the pygmy falcons), and '' Falco'' (the falcons). Molecular data since 2015 has fo ...
. Caracaras are principally birds of
South and
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
, just reaching the southern
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Unlike the ''Falco''
falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
s in the same family, the
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
s 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
The red-throated caracara (''Ibycter americanus'') is a social species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is placed in the monotypic genus ''Ibycter'', or sometimes united in ''Daptrius'' with the black caracara. Unique among caracaras ...
).
Species
Distribution
The caracaras are found throughout much of the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
. The range of the crested caracara extends as far north as the states of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
in the United States. In the Southern Hemisphere, the striated caracara inhabits the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
and
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...
, just off the coast of the southernmost tip of South America.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Caracara'' Merrem 1826 was previously known as ''Polyborus'' Vieillot 1816. Hence, the differing subfamily names Polyborinae or Caracarinae. In addition, different authors give differing scopes to the subfamily, sometimes including the forest falcons, laughing falcon, or spot-winged falconet.
Peters' checklist
in 1931 listed the caracaras in their own subfamily, Polyborinae, containing ''Daptrius'', ''Milvago'', ''Phalcobœnus'', and ''Polyborus''. ''Ibycter americanus'' is included as ''Daptrius americanus''.
Whilst recognizing "three major, deep divisions in the Falconidae",
the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithologists' Union voted
in 2007 to recognize two subfamilies: Herpetotherinae containing the forest falcons; and Falconinae containing the caracaras and true falcons.
Based on recent research in molecular genetics,
John Boyd
places the
spot-winged falconet
The spot-winged falconet (''Spiziapteryx circumcincta'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Spiziapteryx''. It is found in Argentina, southeastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay, where its ...
(''Spiziapteryx'') in Caracarinae, and the forest falcons in Herpetotherinae. He also comments that "many of the caracaras are closely related, and it would not be unreasonable to merge ''Ibycter'', ''Milvago'', and ''Phalcoboenus'' into ''Daptrius''".
References
External links
Caracara videoson the Internet Bird Collection
Information on Florida caracara
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4583899
*
Polyborinae