Distant Crested Caracaras

A quick look at a special bird

Crested Caracaras are one of my favorite local raptors. They look like a hawk, they act like vultures, and they are part of the falcon family. All of that, and they just look so different from other raptors. I had not been out as much this fall and winter and had not seen many Crested Caracaras recently. But, in an Avra Valley farmfield last week I saw two Crested Caracaras. They were far away but it was a treat to see them. Here is one of them.

In the United States, Crested Caracaras are found in southern Arizona and southern Texas with those populations continuous with breeding populations extending through Mexico and beyond. There is an isolated pocket of Crested Caracaras in Florida.

The territory for Crested Caracara in southern Arizona is open desert with saguaros and also in adjacent agricultural fields. Those fields have water and plants that attract prey animals. The planting and harvesting cycles of crops also provide opportunities to attract and expose prey. Caracaras are a very intelligent species and recognize the rich opportunities farm fields offer them.

The second Caracara would drop down behind the dirt berm, and then climb up it again. Both Crested Caracaras moved through the fields together.

Crested Caracaras are about two feet long with a wingspan of four feet. When they fly, you can see that these darkly feathered birds have white on all four 'corners': their neck, their tail and the windows near the ends of their wings.

It is always a treat to see Crested Caracaras and I look forward to more opportunities to see them. Matt Griffiths, of Tucson Audubon, has a nice blog about Crested Caracaras here