Polyborus plancus

The carancho , will caracara , guarro , moñudo or traro is a raptor of big size (between 55 and 60 cm length), of the family of the falconidés .

It introduces the upper part of the head noirâtre, the remainder the head and the neck white are grisacé, and the back and the breast piece with broad dark lines and white grisâtre. In flight, one notices a clear spot on the wing and the tail blanchâtre which finishes with a black band.

The skin of the face is naked, typical mark of the birds vultures, i.e. it feeds from corpses or carrions. But it is also an opportunist hunter which does not hesitate to attack animals young or wounded and in difficulty. It uses as initial method of attack to try to reach the eyes, the lips and the anal zone so that the prey is gradually without defense and that she finally dies about it so as to be able to consume it. Its usual displacements are rather terrestrial. It is much more walker that the other raptors.

During its flight, it makes beats of wing regularly. It is also accustomed to planing in circle, observing the surface of the ground. It emits a rough and strong cry.

It builds its nest in the trees or the shrubs, using with this intention branches, grasses and sleeping bag. He is a close relative of the Faucon S.

The carancho or polyborus lives in edge of wood or on open meadows and frequently nourishes animals wounded at the time of road accidents. One finds it in certain States of America; enough common to Texas, rare and localized in Arizona and very localized in Florida (source: Birds off America/Smithsonian handbooks and personal observations in Florida of the South in County de Hendry, between Labelle and Immokalee (County de Collier) along the Road of State 29 where it prevailed on carcasses of animals, frightening the black vultures and the vultures " Turkey" (turkey)). By far and when he is briefly seen the head of this birds points out that of a toucan vaguely because the orange part (skin) around the nozzle resembles has an elongation of the nozzle.

Taxonomy of the subspecies

Polyborus plancus plancus
Polyborus plancus brasiliensis
Polyborus plancus grinnelli (extinct)
Polyborus plancus prelutosus (extinct)

According to Charles Sibley, the kind Polyborus is currently synonymous with the kind Caracara . This author divides the species consequently in the following way:

Polyborus lutosus or Caracara lutuosa : Extinct - Caracara of the Island of Guadeloupe. ;
Caracara plancus : is distributed to the south of the Amazon with three subspecies:

Caracara plancus plancus ;
Caracara plancus prelutosus ;
Caracara plancus brasiliensis ;

Caracara cheriway : north of the Amazon to the United States with three subspecies. Polyborus plancus audubonii is identical to Polyborus cheriway . ;

Caracara cheriway audubonii ;
Caracara cheriway cheriway UICN ;
Caracara cheriway pallidus .

External bonds

eNature.com page with photograph and sound

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