| Caracara | |
|---|---|
_Rio_Napo.jpg) | |
| Black caracara Daptrius ater | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
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| Subfamily: | Polyborinae orCaracarinae |
| Genera | |
_in_flight.JPG)
Caracaras arebirds of prey in the familyFalconidae. They are traditionally placed in subfamilyPolyborinae with theforest falcons,[1] but are sometimes considered to constitute their own subfamily,Caracarinae,[2] or classified as members of the true falcon subfamily,Falconinae.[3] Caracaras are principally birds ofSouth andCentral America, just reaching the southernUnited States.
Unlike theFalcofalcons in the same family, thebirds in the five relevant genera are not fast-flying aerial hunters, but are comparatively slow and are oftenscavengers (a notable exception being thered-throated caracara).
| Image | Genus | Living species |
|---|---|---|
_(14909975447)_(cropped).jpg) | DaptriusVieillot, 1816 |
|
 | IbycterVieillot, 1816 |
|
 | CaracaraMerrem, 1826 |
|
The caracaras are found throughout much of theAmericas. The range of the crested caracara extends as far north as the states ofArizona,Texas, andFlorida in the United States.[4] In the Southern Hemisphere, the striated caracara inhabits theFalkland Islands andTierra del Fuego, just off the coast of the southernmost tip of South America.[5]
The genusCaracara Merrem 1826 was previously known asPolyborus Vieillot 1816. Hence, the differing subfamily names Polyborinae or Caracarinae. In addition, different authors give differing scopes to the subfamily, sometimes including the forest falcons, laughing falcon, or spot-winged falconet.
Peters' checklist[6] in 1931 listed the caracaras in their own subfamily, Polyborinae, containingDaptrius,Milvago,Phalcobœnus, andPolyborus.Ibycter americanus is included asDaptrius americanus.
Whilst recognizing "three major, deep divisions in the Falconidae",[7] the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithologists' Union voted[8] in 2007 to recognize two subfamilies: Herpetotherinae containing the forest falcons; and Falconinae containing the caracaras and true falcons.
Based on recent research in molecular genetics,[9] John Boyd[10] places thespot-winged falconet (Spiziapteryx) in Caracarinae, and the forest falcons in Herpetotherinae. He also comments that "many of the caracaras are closely related, and it would not be unreasonable to mergeIbycter,Milvago, andPhalcoboenus intoDaptrius".