Bird Album
Crested Caracara
Caracara plancus (Miller, JF, 1777)
1.1 kgWeight
The crested caracara (Caracara plancus) is a bird of prey (raptor) in the falcon family, Falconidae.
Most records: United States, Argentina, Brazil
Where and when it's recorded
Crested Caracara has been recorded at 1,121 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 29 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Reserva Ecológica Costanera SurArgentina11,829 records
- Estero Llano Grande SP WBCUnited States7,222 records
- Mitchell Lake Audubon CenterUnited States7,204 records
More places
- Hornsby BendUnited States6,994 records
- Salineño Wildlife PreserveUnited States5,489 records
- Bentsen-Rio Grande Val. SP WBC (Mission)United States5,089 records
- Jocelyn Nungaray NWR (Anahuac)United States4,239 records
- Laguna Atascosa NWRUnited States3,859 records
- Choke Canyon SP – Calliham Unit (McMullen Co.)United States3,662 records
- Falcon State Park—SE portion (Starr Co.)United States3,536 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The crested caracara (Caracara plancus) is a bird of prey (raptor) in the falcon family, Falconidae. It was formerly placed in the genus Polyborus before being given in its own genus, Caracara. It is native to and found in the southern and southeastern United States, Mexico (where it is present in every state) and the majority of mainland Latin America, as well as some Caribbean islands.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Crested Caracara?
The Crested Caracara weighs around 1.1 kg.
Where does the Crested Caracara live?
Its breeding range: North America, Middle America, South America: southern USA to southern South America, Falkland Islands. It is most often recorded in United States, Argentina and Brazil.
Is the Crested Caracara endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Crested Caracara as Least Concern.
What does the Crested Caracara eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Crested Caracara in?
It belongs to the family Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae), order Falconiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 1.1 kg
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 380 mm
- Tail
- 206 mm
- Bill
- 45 mm
- Tarsus
- 82 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Middle America, South America: southern USA to southern South America, Falkland Islands
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Falconiformes
- Family
- Caracaras, Falcons Falconidae
- Genus
- Caracara
More from the family Caracaras, Falcons
Spot-winged FalconetSpiziapteryx circumcincta
Red-throated CaracaraIbycter americanus
Black CaracaraDaptrius ater
Yellow-headed CaracaraDaptrius chimachima
Chimango CaracaraDaptrius chimango
Striated CaracaraDaptrius australis
Carunculated CaracaraDaptrius carunculatus
Mountain CaracaraDaptrius megalopterus
White-throated CaracaraDaptrius albogularis
Laughing FalconHerpetotheres cachinnans
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Juan Cruzado Cortés. ↗
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