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December 2008, Feature Article
The Bird in Between: Northern Caracara
The Northern Caracara is a commonly overlooked part of Florida's landscape. This article reflects my musings as a research assistant on a countywide survey.
The Bird In Between: Northern Caracara (Caracara cheriway)
By Jamie Drake
What’s a Caracara? One of the most frequent questions I’ve been asked in my work while doing a population survey in a large county in Florida. I cringe for the hundredth time, thinking about how little people know about native Florida, and dive into my rehearsed explanation. I learned a long time ago, that the information is not in the details for most, so I make it simple. “The caracara is in the falcon family, it’s native to Florida, and they are often seen with buzzards.” I am prepared for this question, so I whip out the photo. It is a clear picture of a dark brown and white bird with a dark cap, a blue and orange-ish red beak, and set of bright orange chicken like legs. It usually elicits one of two responses, the “Oh! We have those around here?” or “I’ve seen one of them, I always wondered what it was…”. Either way leads into my next over-rehearsed discussion about their habitat, what I’m doing, and why they are so important.
It never ceases to amaze me, that so few people, even those that have lived here all their lives have any idea of the nature surrounding them. The Caracara is my shining example, but there are so many more. Very few people are aware that almost all the herons they see, and quite a variety of other birds and animals are on the Endangered Species Act, very few even know what the Endangered Species Act is. I strive to enlighten the masses and so I dive into the plight of my designated research species, The Northern or Crested Caracara.
The Caracara, as I commonly call it, has a multitude of common names, including the Mexican Eagle, Mexican Buzzard, Crested Caracara, Audubon’s Crested Caracara, Northern Caracara, and even in Spanish- Carancho. Its scientific name is no more clear, having gone through several changes in recent years. The most current rendering is Caracara cheriway, although previously it’s been referred to as Polyborus plancus audubonii, and Caracara cheriway audubonii. Many, even knowledgeable people, incorrectly often refer to them as Caracara plancus, a nearly identical South American cousin. There is often some confusion about where this bird is from. There are stories they migrated from Mexico, and people who think they were released from captivity. But the truth is they have been here, in Florida, all along. And after so much time of going nearly unnoticed, their story is just coming to light.
Florida, is a land changing quickly. It’s in the middle in between of being a swampy paradise, to a sea of never ending cookie-cutter developments. Agriculture, once a domineering force here, is losing the economic battle, and selling out to development projects. Here, my story begins. I say my story, because it definitely isn’t the whole story, and in all reality, there is no one who really knows it. What we do know is that Caracara have been present here since the first records of wildlife were made. Their range used to extend over the whole state, and possibly some of the southeast, and now it has been reduced to the lower half of Florida, and another separate population found in the southwest, Central America, and South America. They were subject to the effects of DDT in the 1970’s, but there is no accurate record of to what effect. Now they are subject to the most obvious cause of problems with wildlife; loss of habitat. Florida currently lists the Caracara as a threatened species and has estimated a population of less than 600.
As Florida is converting sprawling ranches, wet prairie, and Cabbage Palm hammocks, it is shrinking the available habitat left for many already struggling species. For the Caracara, this is a big concern. They are a species with not a lot of information known about them, even to the extent of no recent population numbers. Agriculture, mainly in its cattle ranching, sod farming, and grove forms has possibly given the Caracara an edge on other species. They are birds of the open Florida cabbage palm savanna and prairie areas. This type of agriculture allows those conditions necessary for reproduction and foraging to continue on, even though the natural state of the land has changed. Unfortunately for these birds, and many who share their habitat, ranching is falling to subdivisions left and right. Caracara haven’t been shown to adapt to these situations, and most likely will not.
Few people not involved in some sort of wildlife related activity realize that Caracara are around, and in most places, a rarity to see. They cruise around in open fields and sod fields grabbing bugs, snakes, and whatever else they can find, they feed on carrion when it’s available, and they often travel or nest in wetlands where they commonly take their prey live. There has even been evidence that they do some sort of fishing, preying on catfish coming up for air.
The birds are consistant in their appearance with no alternate plumage. Their facial and leg coloring may give away their emotional status as they can drain and flush the color at will. Juveniles are always lighter brown, more buff colored on light parts, and display more streaking than barring in their plumage. In addition juveniles facial coloring and leg coloring is usually a pale color, not resembling their parents. Some adults may be seen in a plumage of light brown, but this is thought to be due to a sub-adult age (between one and four) or the result of feather fading. A common thought on determining sub-adults from juveniles is to compare plumage on the breast, look at facial coloring and also leg coloring. None of which is 100% fool-proof.
Nesting occurs nearly any time of year with the most common date being in January and hatching time during February. Unlike most raptors Caracara do build one or several nests and utilize them until the juveniles have left to their congregational groups. Most nesting takes place in cabbage palms, but has been observed rarely in other foliage types. After leaving the parents supervision these juveniles will assemble in a large group and disperse to a territory possibly with their mate in two to four years.
In my experience, Caracara are an amazing, beautiful bird, with a great deal of personality differences from bird to bird. They have provided myself, and many others, with a new perspective on Florida. Hopefully they will continue to draw attention as it becomes clear that caracara, the creatures that share their natural communities, and us as humans, all benefit from keeping agriculture and natural areas around.