Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

(Miller, 1777)

Crested Caracara

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
PS:LTESA Status
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1215996
Element CodeABNKD02030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix II
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderFalconiformes
FamilyFalconidae
GenusCaracara
USESAPS:LT
Synonyms
Caracara cheriway(Jacquin, 1784)Caracara cheriway audubonii(Cassin, 1865)Falco plancusJ. F. Miller, 1777Polyborus cheriway(Jacquin, 1784)Polyborus plancus auduboniiCassin, 1865
Other Common Names
Caracará (PT) Caracara-Comun, Carancho (PT) Caracara du Nord (FR) Caracara Quebrantahuesos (ES) Carancho, Traro, Kara Kara (ES) crested caracara (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithological Society (AOS). Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hernández-Baños, A. W. Kratter, I. J. Lovette, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2021. Sixty-second Supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds. Ornithology 138:1-18.
Taxonomic Comments
Groups: C. cheriway (Jacquin, 1784) [Crested Caracara] and C. plancus [Southern Caracara]. Formerly considered a single species (e.g., AOU 1983, 1998), the groups were separated in AOU (2000). Again treated as conspecific, following Remsen et al. (2021), based on extensive hybridization in the contact zone in Amazonia, clinal variation in phenotype, and an apparent lack of barriers to gene flow (Hellmayr and Conover 1949, Dove and Banks 1999, Fuchs et al. 2012) (AOS 2021).

Formerly included in the genus Polyborus, but that name has no standing because it is based on a type species that is not identifiable (AOU 1993, Banks and Browning 1995).

The Florida population was listed by USFWS as part of subspecies Polyborus plancus audubonii, but this taxon evidently is no longer accepted; audubonii was not mentioned as a distinctive "group" or subspecies by AOU (1983, 1998, 2000) nor by Sibley and Monroe (1990). Johnsgard (1990) included audubonii in subspecies cheriway, and Sibley and Monroe and AOU (1998) included it (unnamed) in the cheriway group. Palmer (1988) recognized audubonii as a valid subspecies. Extinct form on Guadalupe Island now recognized as a distinct species C. lutosa (AOU 2000, Dove and Banks 1999, Sibley and Monroe 1990).
Conservation Status
Review Date2000-09-08
Change Date2000-09-08
Edition Date2000-09-08
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.; revised by S. Cannings
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Common in many areas of the very extensive range (southern U.S. to South America); population trend varies regionally; probably increasing with deforestation in some areas, declining with agricultural and other development elsewhere.
Range Extent Comments
Resident [cheriway group] in central and southern Florida (north to Manatee, Osceola, and Brevard counties, formerly to St. Johns County), Cuba, and the Isle of Pines, and from northern Baja California, southern Arizona, Sonora, Sinaloa, Zacatecas, Nuevo León, central and southern Texas, and southwestern Louisiana south locally through Middle America (including the Tres Marías Islands off Nayarit), and in South America (including islands off Venezuela from Aruba east to Trinidad) south to northern Peru and northern Brazil; [plancus group] from central Peru and southern Amazonian Brazil south to Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands (AOS 2021).

Casual [cheriway group] north to central New Mexico, southwestern Mississippi, and to islands off Panama (Taboga and Pearl) and Jamaica. Accidental west to Washington, Oregon, and California, and north throughout the United States to Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) (AOS 2021).
Threat Impact Comments
In the U.S., declines have been associated with conversion of habitat to agriculture, residential development, and illegal shooting and trapping; increase in roads and traffic has resulted in increased mortality as the birds feed on road kills. Range has expanded in tropical America concurrent with deforestation; invasion of woody species with overgrazing tends to degrade habitat and result in declines (Ellis et al. 1988). In Texas, Dickinson (1995, Wilson Bull. 107:761-762) observed two instances of red imported fire ant predation on caracara hatchlings.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

A large diurnal raptor with a hooked bill, long legs, long wings (bent back at the wrist in flight), large head, and long neck; mainly black-brown, with a white throat and neck and bare red facial skin; crown is black and crested; immature has pale edging on dark feathers of upperside and is streaked below; tail whitish, with a black band at the end; average length 58 cm, wingspan 127 cm (NGS 1983).

Diagnostic Characteristics

No other similar bird has all of the following characteristics: black crown, white neck, black belly, whitish tail with black band at end, and a white patch at the end of the dark wings.

Habitat

Open country, including pastureland, cultivated areas, and semidesert, in both arid and moist habitats but more commonly in the former (AOU 1983); also coastal lowlands and beaches in some areas. Often occurs on the ground in company of vultures (National Geographic Society 1983).

Florida: associated with open country; dry prairie with scattered cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto), wetter prairies, and to some extent also improved pastures and sometimes even rather wooded areas having associated limited areas of open grassland (Johnsgard 1990); center of range is the Kissimmee Prairie, an area of shallow ponds and sloughs with scattered hummocks of live oaks and cabbage palms (see Johnsgard 1990).

Nests in trees, usually in site concealed among branches or palm fronds (often in cabbage palm in Florida, oak or Yucca in Texas), or in cacti; 2.5-15+ m above ground. In treeless areas may nest on rock ledge or under overhanging rocks, or on ground in secluded site such as marsh island. In Texas, typically nests in brush or woodlands on prairies or hill slopes (Oberholser 1974). Nests often are reused from year to year (Johnsgard 1990).

Ecology

Maintains large territory, usually with mate. In Florida, home range width for breeding adults varied from 4.6-9.8 kilometers, average 6 kilometers (Morrison 1996). Most activity occurred within 2-3 kilometers of nest (Morrison 1996). May aggregate (especially at carrion) in groups of up to about 10 in nonbreeding season. Prebreeders occasionally form aggregations (Palmer 1988). Density was estimated at 4.8 birds per 40 ha in eastern Mexico (see Johnsgard 1990).

Reproduction

Egg dates: late December-early April (mainly late January-February) in Florida (but nestling several weeks old has been observed in late December), late January-early June (peak March-April) in Texas, March-August in Mexico, mostly dry season in Colombia. Clutch size usually is 2-3. Incubation lasts about 30-32 days, by both sexes but probably mostly by female. Young are tended by both parents, leave nest at about 8 weeks; Johnsgard (1990) questioned that the nestling period is this long. Family stays together about 2-3 months after fledging. Usually one brood each season.
Terrestrial Habitats
Shrubland/chaparralSavannaGrassland/herbaceousDesertCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
FloridaS2Yes
New MexicoSNAYes
TexasS4BYes
ArizonaS2Yes
LouisianaS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial development———
1.1 - Housing & urban areas———
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture———
2.1 - Annual & perennial non-timber crops———
4 - Transportation & service corridors———
4.1 - Roads & railroads———
5 - Biological resource use———
5.1 - Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals———

—

Roadless Areas (4)
Utah (2)
AreaForestAcres
418016Uinta National Forest35,240
Dairy ForkManti-Lasal National Forest30,222
Wyoming (2)
AreaForestAcres
Pacific Creek - Blackrock CreekBridger-Teton National Forest24,658
Spread Creek - Gros Ventre RiverBridger-Teton National Forest166,097
References (38)
  1. Alves, V. S., A. B. A. Soares, G. S. do Couto, A. B. B. Ribeiro, and M. A. Efe. 1997. Aves do Arquipelago dos Abrolhos, Bahia, Brasil. Ararajuba 5:209-218.
  2. American Ornithological Society (AOS). Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hernández-Baños, A. W. Kratter, I. J. Lovette, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2021. Sixty-second Supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds. Ornithology 138:1-18.
  3. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  4. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1993. Thirty-ninth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 110:675-82.
  5. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  6. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 2000. Forty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 117:847-858
  7. Banks, R. C., and M. R. Browning. 1995. Comments on the status of revived old names for some North American birds. Auk 112:633-648.
  8. Bent, A. C. 1938. Life histories of North American birds of prey. Part 2. U.S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 170. 482 pp., 92 pls.
  9. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  10. Braun, M. J., D. W. Finch, M. B. Robbins, and B. K. Schmidt. 2000. A field checklist of the birds of Guyana. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
  11. de la Peña, M. R. and M. Rumboll. 1998. Birds of southern South America and Antarctica. Harper Collins Publishers, London.
  12. Dove, C. J. and R. C. Banks. 1999. A taxonomic study of Crested Caracaras (Falconidae). Wilson Bulletin 111:330-339.
  13. Ehrlich, P. R., D. S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1992. Birds in Jeopardy: the Imperiled and Extinct Birds of the United States and Canada, Including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. 259 pp.
  14. Ellis, D. H., et al. 1988. Crested caracara. Pages 119-126 in Glinski et al., eds. Proc. Southwest raptor management symposium and workshop. Nat. Wildl. Fed. Sci. and Tech. Ser. No. 11.
  15. Evans, D. L. 1982. Status reports on twelve raptors. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Scientific Report No. 238. 68 pp.
  16. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  17. Harrison, H. H. 1979. A field guide to western birds' nests. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 279 pp.
  18. Hilty, S.L. and W. L. Brown. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA. 836 pp.
  19. Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  20. Johnsgard, P. A. 1990. Hawks, eagles, and falcons of North America. Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington, D.C. xvi + 403 pp.
  21. Jones, H. L., P. Balderamos, J. Caulfield, A. Caulfield, G. Crawford, T. M. Donegan, E. McRae, M. Meadows, M. Muschamp, P. Saqui, V. Spek, J. Urbina, and B. Zimmer. 2002. Fourteen new bird species for Belize. Cotinga 17:33-42.
  22. Morrison, J. L. 1996. Crested Caracara (CARACARA PLANCUS). No. 249 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The Amerian Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC. 28pp.
  23. National Geographic Society (NGS). 1983. Field guide to the birds of North America. National Geographic Society, Washington, DC.
  24. Oberholser, H.C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. 2 vols. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.
  25. Palmer, R. S., ed. 1988b. Handbook of North American birds. Vol. 5. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven. 465 pp.
  26. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  27. Pendleton, B. A. G., B. A. Millsap, K. W. Cline, and D. M. Bird. 1987. Raptor management techniques manual. National Wildlife Federation, Sci. and Tech. Ser. No. 10. 420 pp.
  28. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
  29. Remsen, J. V., Jr., A. Jaramillo, M. Nores, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, T. S. Schulenberg, F. G. Stiles, J. M. C. da Silva, D. F. Stotz, and K. J. Zimmer. Version: 21 March 2005. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithologists' Union. Online. Available: http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.html
  30. Ridgely, R. S. 2002. Distribution maps of South American birds. Unpublished.
  31. Ridgely, R. S. and J. A. Gwynne, Jr. 1989. A Guide to the Birds of Panama. 2nd edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA.
  32. Sibley, C.G., and B.L. Monroe, Jr. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. xxiv + 1111 pp.
  33. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  34. Stiles, F. G. and A. F. Skutch. 1989. A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA. 511 pp.
  35. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  36. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1990. Endangered and threatened species recovery program: report to Congress. 406 pp.
  37. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 6 July 1987. Federal Register.
  38. Zook, J. L. 2002. Distribution maps of the birds of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Unpublished.