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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. |
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How big are they?
They are about 2 feet long. If they stretch out their wings,
they are about 4 feet wide. |
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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. |
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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. |
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When do they hunt?
They hunt during the daytime. (diurnal) |
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What do they eat?
These birds mostly like to eat dead things like vultures do.
They will eat other things like insects, , turtles, and
young birds. |
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Where do they live?
Crested Caracaras live in Canada, the United States (Texas,
Arizona, Florida), Mexico, Central America, and South America. |
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What kind of place do
they like to live in?
They like pasturelands, shrublands, and open land. They are
sometimes in forests and wetlands. |
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Interesting facts:
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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. |
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They are Mexico’s national bird like the eagle is the
national bird of the United States. |
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Most raptors are seen most often flying in the sky. The
Crested Caracaras are most often seen running across the
ground. |
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Crested Caracaras
like to eat dead things because they fly too slow to get most
other prey.
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