I used to think that Crested Caracaras were the best-looking members of the vulture family, but I was completely wrong.
Oh, I still think they are amazing looking birds, but they’re not vultures. They’re not hawks, either. I found out they’re members of the falcon family. Who knew? (Not me, of course.)
But, according to AllAboutBirds.org, they do act like vultures sometimes. “One good way to find a Crested Caracara … is to look for vultures foraging on a carcass. There you will often find a caracara joining the feast.”
I don’t see these birds often, so I am excited when I do come across them. My most recent sightings were last weekend along Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, which is where I have seen them the most. I have also spotted a couple over the years at or near the Orlando Wetlands.
Their habitat includes South America, Central America and Mexico, plus parts of Florida, Texas and Arizona. Here they’re primarily seen only in the central part of the state.
AllAboutBirds.org says they’ll eat just about anything, including insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. But there’s a good reason they’re often mistaken for being in the vulture family.
“Because Crested Caracaras cannot open large carcasses on their own they must wait for a vulture or larger animal to open it up,” the website notes, adding, “Unlike most raptors that pounce on prey, caracaras generally fly or run on the ground toward their prey until they overtake it.”
