FALCONS AND CARACARAS   -   FALCONIDAE

Laughing Falcon Herpetotheres cachinnans cachinnans Tayrona NP, Magdalena department, Colombia. The masked bandit of the Neotropics. It's a very widespread species occurring from Mexico to southern Brazil and northern Argentina. It feeds mainly on snakes. (S6)

Barred Forest-Falcon Micrastur ruficollis interstes Mangaloma reserve, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Juvenile. Some juveniles, like this one, are buffy below, others are more pure white. All juveniles have incomplete barring on their underparts and a partial white collar. (S6)

Spot-winged Falconet Spiziapteryx circumcincta Cruz del Eje, Córdoba province, Argentina. An odd monotypic genus of the chaco region of southern South America. (D3)

Spot-winged Falconet Spiziapteryx circumcincta Cruz del Eje, Córdoba province, Argentina. The same bird at a different angle. (D3)

Southern Caracara Caracara plancus Northern Tierra del Fuego, Region XII, Chile. Southern birds are now split off, but plumage differences are minor, and not obvious in this photo. (S5)

Southern Caracara Caracara plancus Fazenda Santa Tereza (Pantanal lodge), Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Juvenile. (D4)

Red-throated Caracara Ibycter americanus Mitú, Vaupés department, Colombia. This bird is fairly widespread in tropical lowland rainforest. It has one of the most unique voices of all Neotropical birds, one of my favorites. I won't try to describe, but there is a sample below. (S6)

Carunculated Caracara Phalcoboenus carunculatus Antisana reserve, Napo province, Ecuador. An adult bird feeding in the páramo, scratching at the ground for insects and worms. The name "Caruculated" comes from the wrinkled appearance to its facial skin, which can be seen in this shot. (S4)

Carunculated Caracara Phalcoboenus carunculatus Antisana reserve, Napo province, Ecuador. A juvenile, which is very similar to the juvenile of Mountain Caracara, which replaces it from southern Ecuador southward. This bird has a glossy tinge to its plumage, which I suspect means it is an older bird than the Mountain Caracara below. (S4)

Mountain Caracara Phalcoboenus megalopterus Cumbremayo, Cajamarca department, Peru. (S6)

Mountain Caracara Phalcoboenus megalopterus Machu Picchu, Cusco department, Peru. A juvenile scavenging in the ruins. (P1)

White-throated Caracara Phalcoboenus albogularis Las Cumbres, Region XII, Chile. A distant shot of one of the rarest of the caracaras. It is found only in the windswept Patagonian Andes above about 500 m elevation. This one was eating a severed sheep head on the side of the road! (S5).

Black Caracara Daptrius ater Shiripuno Lodge, Pastaza province, Ecuador. (D3)

Black Caracara Daptrius ater Cristalino Jungle Lodge, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The yellow-faced bird on the right is a juvenile. It has white frosting on its breast and belly and a lot of white on the undertail coverts. (S6)

Yellow-headed Caracara Milvago chimachima chimachima Reserva Ecologica de Guapi Assu, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. A juvenile on the left, which is noticeably bigger than the parent on the right. This suggests that the juvenile is a female and the adult is a male. (D3)

Chimango Caracara Milvago chimango chimango Quinta, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. (D4)		American Kestrel Falco sparverius peruvianus Abra Patricia, San Martín department, Peru. Male. (D2)

Orange-breasted Falcon Falco deiroleucus Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Probably a male due to small size. The larger feet and talons, bulkier shape, and coarse black and buff barring on the vest separate this species from the often very similar Bat Falcon F. rufigularis (compare with the photo to the right). Bat Falcons can also show a lot of rufous on the breast and side of neck, so that is not really a good feature to use - just look at it's latin name! (S6)		Bat Falcon Falco rufigularis ophryophanes Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Gross state, Brazil. It was catching insects over the Veu de Noiva waterfall at dusk. This was digiscoped with about a 1/2 second exposure. (D2)

Merlin Falco columbarius columbarius(?) Parque La Florida, Bogotá, Colombia. Merlins are uncommon to rare winter residents in northern South America. This is an unusually high record at 2500 m above sea level. (D3)		Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus (ssp. unknown) Virgen del Socorro, Heredia province, Costa Rica. (D2)