Southern Caracara (polyborus plancus) crested caracara, Caricare Encrestado,

Range and habitat The Southern Caracara (Caracara plancus), also known as the Southern Crested Caracara, is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It formerly included the Crested Caracara (C. cheriway) of southern USA, Central America and northern South America, and the extinct Guadalupe Caracara (C. lutosus) as subspecies. As presently defined, the Southern Caracara is restricted to central and southern South America. As its relatives, it was formerly placed in the genus Polyborus. The Southern Caracara occurs from Tierra del Fuego in southernmost South America north to the Amazon River region and southern Peru. An isolated population occurs on the Falkland Islands. It avoids the Andean highlands and dense humid forest, such as the Amazon rainforest, where largely restricted to relatively open sections along major rivers. Otherwise, it occurs in virtually any open or semi-open habitat and is often found near humans. Description It has a total length of 50-65 cm (20-26 in) and a wing-span of c. 120 cm (47 in). Individuals from the colder southern part of its range average larger than those from tropical regions. The cap, belly, thights, most of the wings and tail-tip are dark brownish, the auriculars, throat and nape are whitish-buff, and the chest, neck, mantle, back, uppertail-coverts, crissum and basal part of the tail are whitish-buff barred dark brownish. In flight, the outer primaries show a large conspicious whitish-buff patch ('window'), as in several other species of caracaras. The legs are yellow and the bare facial skin and cere are deep yellow to reddish-orange. Juveniles resemble adults, but are paler, with streaking on the chest, neck and back, grey legs, and whitish, later pinkish-purple, facial skin and cere. It can be separated from the similar Crested Caracara by its more extensive barring to the chest, brownish and often lightly mottled/barred scapulars (all blackish in Crested), and pale lower back with dark barring (uniform blackish