The Story
I made this photo of a juvenile Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima) at Reserva Natural La Palmita in Trinidad, Casanare, Colombia. The Yellow-headed Caracara’s 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. La Palmita’s research center has recorded 250 bird species and 39 bat species in the flooded savannas of Trinidad. IUCN lists the Yellow-headed Caracara as Least Concern, with an increasing population.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. La Palmita’s research center also monitors the savanna’s birds and mammals and rehabilitates and releases wildlife rescued from illegal trafficking.
©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