Moutain Caracara
An inhabitant of the high Andean mountains
The Mountain Caracara is a raptor which is a member of the falcon family, but it does not have pointed wings, its flight is not as fast and its diet is very varied.
It feeds on almost everything, without any particular specialisation: insects, reptiles, small mammals and even carrion, which it shares with the Andean Condor in particular.
It is an inhabitant of the high Andean mountains, living in the grassy savannahs of the Puna desert, at an altitude of 3,000 to 5,000 m preferably around mountain-lakes.
But it also rubs shoulders with man: it can be seen, walking in groups in search of food, in recently ploughed fields, or foraging in rubbish dumps, which is a sanitary activity.
Not overly timid, very opportunist and with hardly any fear of man, the Mountain Caracara is a rather common bird and the species, to date, is therefore not threatened.
Moutain Caracaras
In our “Jardin des Mondes”, Mountain Caracaras are visible
A less threatened species
- Name : Moutain Caracara
- Latin name : Phalcoboenus megalopterus
- Origin : Andes, from Northern Peru to Central Chile / South America
- IUCN status : Least concerned
- Cites : Appendix II
