Chimango caracara


The chimango caracara is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and south of Brazil. The chimango is found as far south as Tierra del Fuego and is a vagrant to the Falkland Islands.

Habitat

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, high-altitude shrubland, temperate grassland, Patagonian steppe, and heavily degraded former forest. This bird is typically found at edges of water and near towns and fields, the latter especially if they are newly ploughed. It is the most common raptor in the Argentinean Patagonia and Chile.

Species description

This species is from 37 to 40 cm long. A typical chimango caracara has a mantle and back edged with cinnamon brown feathers and white. Neck, chest, abdomen and belly light brown. Head dark brown. It is the smallest variety of caracara. Wings have a dark brown stripe with white in the basal half of the primaries. The tail is light brown with a dark brown terminal band. Eyes are brown. Legs are yellow in the male and light gray in the female and hatchlings.

Behaviour

The chimango is an intelligent bird and has high problem solving abilities compared to other birds. It eats insects, small vertebrates and carrion. The chimango is also known to catch living fish from the surface of the water.

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