Scientific name:  Caracara cheriway Family Name:  Falconidae Are they endangered?  No, they are not threatened worldwide. (IUCN Red list: Least concern)   They are listed as threatened in the United States (Florida), though. What are their past/present problems?  They are endangered by having farmland, pastures, and open land made into housing developments and building sites. What do they look like?  These birds have super long legs.  They have black bodies and wings with a long white neck.  They have gray beaks and an orange face.

	How big are they?  They are about 2 feet long.  If they stretch out their wings, they are about 4 feet wide.
	How many eggs do they lay?  The females lay from 2 to 3 white eggs that usually have pink or brown colors mixed in.  They lay eggs once or twice a year. The eggs hatch in a month.
	How long do the fledglings stay in the nest?  They build big stick nests in cactus, or trees like palm trees.  Sometimes they make their nests on the ground.  The young birds (fledglings) leave the nest in about 2 to 3 months.  This is a long time compared to other raptors.
	When do they hunt?  They hunt during the daytime.  (diurnal)
	What do they eat?  These birds mostly like to eat dead things like vultures do.  They will eat other things like insects, MICE, turtles, and young birds.
	Where do they live?  Crested Caracaras live in Canada, the United States (Texas, Arizona, Florida),  Mexico, Central America, and South America.
	What kind of place do they like to live in?  They like pasturelands, shrublands, and open land.  They are sometimes in forests and wetlands.
	Interesting facts: Many raptors take advantage of their ability to fly fast by swooping out of the air to grab prey.  The Crested Caracara is a slow flyer which is why they look for dead things to eat.  They are Mexico’s national bird like the eagle is the national bird of the United States. Most raptors are seen most often flying in the sky.  The Crested Caracaras are most often seen running across the ground.

Works Cited:

Alderfer, Jonathan.  Complete Birds of North America.  Washington, D.C.:  National Geographic, 2006.

Alsop, Fred.  Birds of North America.  New York:  DK Publishing, 2001.

Caracara cheriway.  23 Jan. 2008.  <http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/49477/all>.

Crested Caracara.  5 Oct. 2007.  <http://www.peregrinefund.org/Explore_Raptors/falcons/crstcara.html>.

Schmoker, Bill.  “Re: Owl pictures (etc.).”   [American Kestrel flying]   E-mail to Club Web.  2 Nov. 2007.