White-throated Caracara
Daptrius albogularis
Uncommon in southern Andes; range does not overlap with Mountain Caracara. Favors open habitats above treeline, but also ranges lower to scavenge at dumps and in farmland with open trees. Often associates with Chimango and Crested Caracaras at the dump outside Ushuaia, Argentina. Sails, soars, and tumbles easily on updrafts. Adult is handsome and strikingly patterned black-and-white with creamy white underparts and a bold white tail tip. Juvenile is rather similar to smaller Chimango Caracara, but distinguished by black (not pale) bill.
Identification
The white-throated caracara is 49 to 55 cm (19 to 22 in) long with a wingspan of 110 to 124 cm (43 to 49 in). It has a small crest, long wings with clear "fingers" on the tips, and a long rounded tail. The sexes' plumages are alike. Adults' upperparts are mostly brownish black to black with white uppertail coverts. Their underparts and tips of the tail feathers are pure unmarked white. The undersides of their primaries have black and white bands at their base. Their bare facial skin is yellow-orange, their iris is hazel to brown, and their legs and feet yellow. Juveniles have dark brown upperparts and bluish white facial skin, legs, and feet.
Taxonomy
The white-throated caracara is a member of order Falconiformes, which different taxonomic systems assign 65 or 66 species; 10, 11 or 12 genera; and two or three subfamilies. The caracaras contributes the most to the differences. The American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World place the white-throated caracara in genus Phalcoboenus. The Clements taxonomy places it in genus Daptrius. The four systems differ on the genera of several other caracaras as well.<p>The white-throated caracara and the carunculated caracara (P. carunculatus) were formerly treated as subspecies of the mountain caracara (P. megalopterus) but the three are now considered a superspecies due to their shallow genetic differences. Possible hybrids between the white-throated and mountain caracaras have been reported but not widely accepted.<p>Taxonomic systems agree that the white-throated caracara is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Daptrius albogularis
- Authority
- (Gould, 1837)
- Order
- Falconiformes
- Family
- Falconidae
- Genus
- Daptrius
Range and habitat
The white-throated caracara is the southernmost member of the "mountain caracara" superspecies. It is found from south-central Chile's Los Lagos Region and western Argentina's Mendoza Province south to Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. It inhabits open mountain slopes, southern beech (Nothofagus) forest, open woodland, and dense scrublands. In Chile it ranges in elevation from about 500 to 2,500 m (1,600 to 8,200 ft) and in Argentina from sea level to 3,000 m (9,800 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The white-throated caracara's movements are imperfectly known; the species is thought to be somewhat nomadic.<p>Information is sparse on the white-throated caracara's diet and foraging behavior. It is known to feed on carrion, for instance dead guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and cattle, and has also been documented preying on small rodents. Small numbers gather with vultures at carcasses and with other caracara species at sheep slaughter, and it will attempt to drive off its competitors. It is thought to seek food while in flight rather than walking on the ground like some other caracaras. <p>Little is known about the white-throated caracara's breeding biology. It builds a stick nest on a rock ledge. Its clutch of two or three eggs is probably laid in October-November. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.<p>As of early 2023, xeno-canto and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library each had only two recordings of white-throated caracara vocalizations. "The call is said to be a deeper version of that of Chimango" but the chimango caracara has "far more peevish whinings".
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Tahiti Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus caffer
A large, slender warbler with a disproportionately long bill, short wings, and a long tail. Face and eyebrow yellowish-buff with a dark eye-stripe and a pale throat. Upper body and wings mostly dark with pale edges to feathers, giving a messy mottled appearance. Some birds are much paler, often almost entirely white with some mottling. An entirely dark sooty morph occurs. Found in riverine and hillside forest with stands of bamboo up to 600 meters of elevation. Song is a long, slow sequence of warbled phrases and “churr” notes. Calls include harsh churring and “tchak” notes.
Spotted Elachura
Elachura formosa
Tiny wrenlike skulker with a large-headed and short-tailed profile. Brown overall with galaxy-like white spotting across the body and thick brick-red barring on the wings and tail. Difficult to see; almost always detected by its song, a drawn-out series of high chinking notes; responsive to whistled imitations, but very shy regardless and only infrequently breaks cover. Typically found in hilly forests, particularly next to well-shaded small streams and other damp areas.
Black-chinned Mountain Tanager
Anisognathus notabilis
Large and colorful tanager of Andean cloud forest in western Ecuador and western Colombia. Plumage is golden-yellow with a black head, blue wing patch, and yellow stripe on rear crown. Separated from the more common Blue-winged Mountain-tanager by yellow back, orange tinge to underparts, black chin, smaller crown stripe, and less blue in wing. Usually encountered in pairs or small groups that move through middle levels of the forest, often with mixed-species flocks. Visits feeders in some areas.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.