Stats

Lifespan: 10-30 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Pair
Biome: Tropical savanna
Range: The Americas
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Speed
Status: Common

About

The Crested Caracara is a ground-walking raptor of the falcon family, often spotted scavenging alongside vultures across open habitats from the southern United States to South America. Its bold black cap with a shaggy crest and vivid orange-red facial skin make it unmistakable among New World birds of prey.

Life cycle

1.
egg
One or two eggs are incubated on a high stick nest or cliff ledge, guarded closely by the pair.
2.
hatchling
A downy hatchling is fed torn meat by its parents and grows quickly in a high nest.
3.
juvenile
A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest, learning to soar and to make its first kills.
4.
adult
Fully grown, hunting on its own with adult plumage.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Caracara
Species: Caracara plancus