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  Profile

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  In flight

Birds of Prey

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

• uncommon
• 40 km/h
• Least Concern

Mexico's national bird, found from Texas to Patagonia. Walks like a chicken, hunts like a hawk.

Population

About 8.1 million individuals

Habitat

Open savanna, scrub, pasture, farmland, and coastal plain

Fun fact

Although a falcon, it often walks while scavenging and hunting on the ground.

Range

Southern United States through Central and South America to Tierra del Fuego

Diet

Carrion, small vertebrates, eggs, and invertebrates

Size

0.58 m

Wingspan

1.26 m

Lifespan

25.8 years