Crested caracara: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the crested caracara lives – recorded in 29 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Caracara plancus
Group	Birds of prey
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	29 countries
Continents	North America, South America
Class	Bird
Order	Falconiformes
Family	Falconidae

Where does the crested caracara live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the crested caracara in 29 countries and territories across North America and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil, South America, Senador Guiomard.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the crested caracara endangered?

The crested caracara’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the crested caracara?

The crested caracara (Caracara plancus) is a bird in the order Falconiformes and the family Falconidae, genus Caracara. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the crested caracara

The crested caracara (Caracara plancus) is a bird of prey (raptor) in the falcon family, Falconidae. It was formerly placed in the genus Polyborus before being given in its own genus, Caracara. It is native to and found in the southern and southeastern United States, Mexico (where it is present in every state) and the majority of mainland Latin America, as well as some Caribbean islands. The crested caracara is quite adaptable and hardy, for a species found predominantly in the neotropics; it can be found in a range of environments and ecosystems, including semi-arid and desert climates, maritime or coastal areas, subtropical and tropical forests, temperate regions, plains, swamps, and even in urban areas. Documented, albeit rare, sightings have occurred as far north as Minnesota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island. The southern extent of the crested caracara's distribution can reach as far as Tierra del Fuego and Magallanes Region, Chile.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Crested caracara (revision 1379390434), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q755119 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).