Photo: Andreas Trepte / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Crested Caracara
Caracara plancus
Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) — Birds of Prey of North America.
Found across 18 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) is a member of the Falconidae family found in Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America. Adults weigh 1.1 kg. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Falconiformes
- Family Falconidae Caracaras, Falcons
- Genus Caracara
- Species plancus
Where it lives
Southern USA to southern SA, Falkland Is.
Quick facts
- Weight
- 1.1 kg
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Falconidae
- Order
- Falconiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Endangered
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Crested Caracara is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of open scrub and shrubland, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Crested Caracara is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) is a member of the Falconidae family, within the order Falconiformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America. Its distribution covers NA, MA, SA s USA to s SA, Falkland Is.
It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 1.1 kg, with a wing length of about 38 cm and a tail of around 20.6 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 9 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Crested Caracara?
The Crested Caracara is a very large bird that weighs around 1.1 kg.
Where does the Crested Caracara live?
The Crested Caracara is found across Central America & Caribbean, North America and South America with a range covering NA, MA, SA s USA to s SA, Falkland Is, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Crested Caracara belong to?
The Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) belongs to the Falconidae family, in the order Falconiformes.
What does the Crested Caracara eat?
The Crested Caracara is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Crested Caracara migrate?
The Crested Caracara is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Crested Caracara endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Crested Caracara make?
1 real field recording of the Crested Caracara — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Crested Caracara's range?
The Crested Caracara has a mapped global range of about 9 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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