The Story
This Yellow-headed Caracara (Daptrius chimachima) was at San José de las Hermosas in Chaparral, Tolima, Colombia when I photographed it. 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. 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. San José de las Hermosas is one of the rural villages of Chaparral, which lies about 163 km from Ibagué. Chaparral is mainly a farming municipality, and coffee is its main crop.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/40 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400. 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