The Story
I photographed this juvenile female Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima) at Ambalema, Tolima, Colombia. Immature birds have browner upperparts than adults, and their underparts have brown streaks. Its diet includes carrion, insects, crabs, fish, reptiles, amphibians, bird eggs and fruit. It takes much of its food while walking on the ground. It colonizes cleared areas within its range. It has even been seen picking small invertebrates from the fur of Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths. It is omnivorous and relies heavily on scavenging. Ambalema lies about 70 km northeast of Ibagué. Ambalema’s historic center and railway station are national monuments.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800, −0.7 EV. IUCN lists the Yellow-headed Caracara as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
©2019 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