Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Yellow-headed Caracara

Daptrius chimachima (Vieillot, 1816)

40–45 cmLength

Busiest months: January–March · Most records: Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama

Where and when it's recorded

Yellow-headed Caracara has been recorded at 667 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 21 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Tárcoles – Tour en BoteCosta Rica3,676 records
  2. Ammo Dump PondsPanama3,398 records
  3. RN Laguna de SonsoColombia2,866 records
More places
  1. Parque del EsteVenezuela2,835 records
  2. Hotel Tinamú Birding Nature ReserveColombia2,647 records
  3. Gamboa Rainforest ReservePanama2,141 records
  4. Parque Simon BolivarVenezuela1,809 records
  5. Cerro LodgeCosta Rica1,463 records
  6. Hotel BougainvilleaCosta Rica1,417 records
  7. Summit PondsPanama1,388 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ColombiaCosta RicaPanamaBrazilVenezuelaTrinidad & TobagoArgentinaEcuador

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

Questions

How big is the Yellow-headed Caracara?

The Yellow-headed Caracara is about 40–45 cm long.

Where does the Yellow-headed Caracara live?

Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: Costa Rica to northern Argentina. It is most often recorded in Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama.

When is the best time to see the Yellow-headed Caracara?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

What family is the Yellow-headed Caracara in?

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

At a glance

Length
40–45 cm

Range

Middle America, South America: Costa Rica to northern Argentina

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Caracaras, Falcons Falconidae
Genus
Daptrius

Other birds in the genus Daptrius

Black CaracaraBlack CaracaraDaptrius aterChimango CaracaraChimango CaracaraDaptrius chimangoStriated CaracaraStriated CaracaraDaptrius australisCarunculated CaracaraCarunculated CaracaraDaptrius carunculatusMountain CaracaraMountain CaracaraDaptrius megalopterusWhite-throated CaracaraWhite-throated CaracaraDaptrius albogularisSpot-winged FalconetSpot-winged FalconetSpiziapteryx circumcinctaCrested CaracaraCrested CaracaraCaracara plancusRed-throated CaracaraRed-throated CaracaraIbycter americanusLaughing FalconLaughing FalconHerpetotheres cachinnans
Yellow-headed Caracara

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

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