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Birds in Texas

THE CARACARA

or
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner in Gonzales County


by John Troesser


 Greenville TX - Crested Caracara in flight
Photo courtesy Tina Brazzeal, Feb. 2, 2020

Caracara, Vulture of the Millennium!

It's name is echoic, meaning the name imitates it's cry. Caracara is the sound that is heard by Brazilian Indians. Why we have to have Brazilian Indians name it is beyond us.

The Caracara or Mexican Eagle

Next time you find yourself heading toward Gonzales County, pay attention when you pass the roadside road-kill buffets. The fastidious, over-dressed diners feasting with the common garden-variety vultures on the carcass du jour are more than likely the beautiful and regal Crested Caracara. These are members of the Falcon family and they usually stand out like tuxedos in a soup kitchen serving line. The bird, sometimes referred to as a Mexican eagle, has manners equal to its regal appearance. They are monogamous, they build (extremely sturdy) nests and are attentive parents who preen daily, setting a good example for their offspring. Sharing a carcass with inferior birds is done reluctantly. The Caracara is quite capable of killing living prey and with its powerful legs, The birds have been known to run down their prey – or even wade in shallow water.

For reasons known only to the Caracara, Gonzales County has the highest concentration of these magnificent birds in the entire U.S. Indeed, it is hard to spend a day in rural Gonzales County without seeing at least one. Gonzales County’s Palmetto State Park is where the Audubon Society takes its yearly census.

Caracara
TE photo, October 2014

While their range extends throughout Mexico all the way to Argentina, they are only found in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona in the U.S. - with a small colony located in central Florida.

Caracara in Clearwater, Florida
at a raptor rescue exhibit October 2014

TE photo



A Caracara with its Prey

The series of photos included here were taken along highway 71 near Bastrop, Texas. (Bastrop County shares a border with Gonzales County). A grass fire in early March 2009, scorched some 50 acres east of town, exposing wildlife and providing a feast for scavenging birds. In this case, the meal was a four foot rattlesnake.

Caracara with snake

Caracara feeding on snake

Caracara feeding on snake

Caracara with snake

Caracara feeding on snake

Caracara feeding on snake

Caracara feeding on snake
TE photos, March 2009



CaraCara Means More Than FaceFace

By Maggie Van Ostrand
'It seems the Caracaras must have expensive lobbyists representing them in Washington DC. The United States Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects Crested Caracaras as an endangered species, even though these big birds only visit Arizona, Florida, and Texas. This leaves the remaining 47 states to the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, Red-Footed Booby and Dark-Rumped Petrel. However, in Mexico, where Caracaras have the exalted title of National Bird, humans sometimes eat them. Go figure." Read full article


Caracara By David Knape



Sighting of Crested Caracara in
Greenville, Texas

 Greenville TX - Crested Caracara in flight
Photo courtesy Tina Brazzeal, Feb. 2, 2020

Subject: Crested Caracara 2/2/20 Greenville, Texas

"Was trying to feed on a coyote on 380." - Tina Brazzeal, February 2, 2020

 Greenville TX - Crested Caracara in flight
Photo courtesy Tina Brazzeal, Feb. 2, 2020

 Greenville TX - Crested Caracara in flight
Photo courtesy Tina Brazzeal, Feb. 2, 2020

 Greenville TX - Crested Caracara in flight
Photo courtesy Tina Brazzeal, Feb. 2, 2020


Sighting of Crested Caracara in
East Texas

Crested Caracara in East TX
Crested Caracara in East Texas
Photo courtsey Joyce Cook, April 2018

Crested Caracara

Thank you for sharing my photos! I live in Mt Pleasant, in North East Texas. I noticed this bird on my way home, luckily I had my camera and my 600 lens. I pulled off the road and my grandchildrern and I watched this bird as it feasted with the Buzzards on a dead animal on the roadside. I finally learned that it is called a Crested Caracara, also known as a Mexican Eagle! They are not usually seen in this part of Texas, but seen in Gonzales County, Texas, approximately 6 hours from here. - Joyce Cook, May 09, 2018

Crested Caracara & buzzards in East TX
Photo courtsey Joyce Cook, April 2018

Buzzard chasing Crested Caracara in East TX
Photo courtsey Joyce Cook, April 2018

Buzzard chasing Crested Caracara in East TX
Buzzard chasing Caracara
Photo courtsey Joyce Cook, April 2018

Crested Caracara and  buzzard in East TX
Buzzard and Caracara at rest on fence poles
Photo courtsey Joyce Cook, April 2018

Crested Caracara feasting with buzzards in East TX
Crested Caracara running off with food
Photo courtsey Joyce Cook, April 2018

Crested Caracara in flight in East TX
Crested Caracara in flight
Photo courtsey Joyce Cook, April 2018

Crested Caracara in East TX
Crested Caracara in East Texas
Photo courtsey Joyce Cook, April 2018

Sighting of Caracara in Hunt County

I live in Hunt County Texas on Lake Tawakoni. I saw this today in a field by my home.... I ... didn't think they came this far north. - Karen Castleberry, April 24, 2016



Juvenile Northern Crested Caracara
Juvenile Northern Crested Caracara, under care at the Wildlife Rehab & Education Center
Photo courtesy Cyndi Bohannon



CaraCara Means More Than FaceFace
By Maggie Van Ostrand

Caracara By David Knape



Related Topics:
Birds in Texas
Texas Animals

Palmetto State Park
Gonzales, Texas
Bastrop, Texas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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