Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae. They are traditionally placed in subfamily Polyborinae with the forest falcons, but are sometimes considered to constitute their own subfamily, Caracarinae, or classified as members of the true falcon subfamily, Falconinae. Caracaras are principally birds of South and Central America, just reaching the Southern United States.
Unlike the Falco falcons in the same family, the birds in the five relevant genera are not fast-flying, aerial hunters, but are comparatively slow and are often scavengers (a notable exception being the red-throated caracara).
Species
Image
Genus
Living species
Daptrius Vieillot, 1816
D. chimachima (Vieillot, 1816) – yellow-headed caracara
D. ater Vieillot, 1816 – black caracara
D. chimango (Vieillot, 1816) – Chimango caracara
D. carunculatus Des Murs, 1853 – carunculated caracara
D. megalopterus (Meyen, 1834) – mountain caracara
D. albogularis (Gould, 1837) – white-throated caracara
D. australis (Gmelin, 1788) – striated caracara
Ibycter Vieillot, 1816
I. americanus (Boddaert, 1783) – red-throated caracara (formerly in Daptrius)
The caracaras are found throughout much of the Americas. The range of the crested caracara extends as far north as the states of Arizona, Texas, and Florida in the United States. In the Southern Hemisphere, the striated caracara inhabits the Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego, just off the coast of the southernmost tip of South America.
Taxonomy
The genus Caracara Merrem 1826 was previously known as Polyborus Vieillot 1816. Hence, the differing subfamily names Polyborinae or Caracarinae. In addition, different authors give differing scopes to the subfamily, sometimes including the forest falcons, laughing falcon, or spot-winged falconet.
Peters' checklist in 1931 listed the caracaras in their own...
