Red-throated Caracara (Ibycter americanus)
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Red-throated Caracara

Ibycter americanus (Boddaert, 1783)

624 gWeight

The red-throated caracara (Ibycter americanus) is a social species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae.

Most records: Peru, Colombia, Ecuador

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Red-throated Caracara has been recorded at 134 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 12 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Rio Cristalino – listas históricasBrazil465 records
  2. Sani LodgeEcuador393 records
  3. Atta Lodge / Iwokrama Canopy WalkwayGuyana375 records
More places
  1. Canopy CampPanama371 records
  2. Amazonía LodgePeru348 records
  3. Camino a El SaltoPanama338 records
  4. Tiputini Biodiversity StationEcuador333 records
  5. Manu BiolodgePeru320 records
  6. Reserva Natural La Isla EscondidaColombia277 records
  7. El Paujil Proaves ReserveColombia269 records

Countries and regions with the most records

PeruColombiaEcuadorBrazilGuyanaPanamaSurinameVenezuela

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 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, it mainly feeds on the larvae of bees and wasps, but also takes the adult insects and fruits and berries.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Red-throated Caracara?

The Red-throated Caracara weighs around 624 g.

Where does the Red-throated Caracara live?

Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: southern Mexico to southern Brazil. It is most often recorded in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador.

Is the Red-throated Caracara endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Red-throated Caracara as Least Concern.

What does the Red-throated Caracara eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Red-throated Caracara in?

It belongs to the family Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae), order Falconiformes.

At a glance

Weight
624 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
360 mm
Tail
254 mm
Bill
40 mm
Tarsus
50 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Middle America, South America: southern Mexico to southern Brazil

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Caracaras, Falcons Falconidae
Genus
Ibycter

More from the family Caracaras, Falcons

Spot-winged FalconetSpot-winged FalconetSpiziapteryx circumcinctaCrested CaracaraCrested CaracaraCaracara plancusBlack CaracaraBlack CaracaraDaptrius aterYellow-headed CaracaraYellow-headed CaracaraDaptrius chimachimaChimango CaracaraChimango CaracaraDaptrius chimangoStriated CaracaraStriated CaracaraDaptrius australisCarunculated CaracaraCarunculated CaracaraDaptrius carunculatusMountain CaracaraMountain CaracaraDaptrius megalopterusWhite-throated CaracaraWhite-throated CaracaraDaptrius albogularisLaughing FalconLaughing FalconHerpetotheres cachinnans
Red-throated Caracara

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Carmelo López Abad. ↗

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