''Phalcoboenus'' is a small

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of caracara in the family Falconidae. They are found in barren, open

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

and 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 ...

. The four species are almost entirely allopatric. The adults are distinctive, with bare yellow, orange or red facial skin and

cere The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food ...

, and a black plumage with variable amounts of white. Juveniles are overall brown with pale pinkish-grey facial skin and cere. They are highly opportunistic and typically seen walking on the ground, where they will feed on carrion and virtually any small animal they can catch.

Species

There are four extant and one extinct species. The extant species are: The extinct species is ''Phalcoboenus napieri'' which is known from subfossil remains unearthed in peat deposits from the Falkland Islands, described in 2016 and named for Roddy Napier, the owner of

West Point Island West Point Island (originally known as Albatross Island; es, Isla Remolinos) is one of the Falkland Islands, lying in the north-west corner of the archipelago. It has an area of and boasts some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in the Falk ...

in the Falklands.Mark P. Adams; Robin W. Woods (2016). "Mid-Holocene Falkland Islands bird bones from a peat deposit, including a new species of caracara". Emu.

References

* Jaramillo, Alvaro, Burke, Peter, & Beadle, David (2003). ''Birds of Chile.'' Christopher Helm, London. . Birds of prey {{Falconiformes-stub