The Story
I photographed this Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima) at Hacienda La Cabaña, near Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia, in January 2020. It ranges from Nicaragua to Uruguay. Adults have a creamy yellowish head and underparts with a thin dark line through the eye, and a whitish wing patch that shows in flight. It is omnivorous and relies heavily on scavenging, eating carrion, insects, small animals, fruit and seeds. It picks ticks off cattle and other large mammals such as capybaras and tapirs. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, and its population appears to be growing.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/500 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200. It readily moves into lowland areas as forest is turned into cattle ranches and farms.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima) belongs to the family Falconidae (Falcons and Caracaras) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2020), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List
