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Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Crested Caracara for Wildlife Wednesday April 2015

A rather magnificent bird perched in the trees behind our house last week and I'm joining Tina at My Gardener Says.... to share this special event.  I had never seen one before.  In fact, there was a pair of them.




Crested Caracara is a falcon relative.  Unlike the falcon it prefers carrion to capturing prey.  Interestingly, the Caracara will land and walk to capture a prey rather than swooping in on it.



Sort of a cross between a bird of prey and vulture.  Some sources suggest this may be the bird on the Mexican flag and not the Golden Eagle.  Central Texas is the northern edge of their range which extends all the way south to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.  Not typically seen in the US outside Texas, Arizona, and Florida.





All About Birds was the source of ID and information for this post.




Fly away you beautiful creature.....


Thank you to Tina at My Gardener Says... for providing the opportunity to share the wildlife in our gardens on the first Wednesday of each month.

13 comments:

  1. Wow, that is wonderful! You got some great photos, too. Is that the first time you've seen one?

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    1. It is the first one we've seen.

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  2. Those are beautiful photos, Shirley. I love it when I travel to the Texas coast to see family, I always see at least one of these gorgeous birds in the sky, though I never see them in Austin. So glad you joined in today!

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  3. What an intriguing animal. I'm especially surprise to hear that it WALKS to catch it's prey - you don't hear that too often! Thanks for sharing this rarer type of backyard bird.

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  4. What a beautiful bird! Thanks for sharing your photos.

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  5. Lucky to spot it this time, such a handsome bird!

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  6. What a spectacular sight! I've never seen one of those around Austin before - I wonder if our shifting temperatures are drawing them further north than usual. Simply stunning photos. Is it silly to admit I have a bit of avian envy?

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  7. Spectacular bird and wonderful photos. I've never seen one before so this was an extra special treat.

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  8. Shirley what a great bird...and how lucky to see it and capture it in these pictures....I had never heard of this bird even when I lived in AZ....love its look...very eagle like in some respects.

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  9. An interesting bird and great photos! I can see both the vulture and the eagle in the bird's head and stance.

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  10. I'm really surprised you hadn't seen one prior to this, considering where you are in Texas. I was really stoked when we moved back to Texas from Florida to see that they are relatively common around here...I've seen more than I ever imagined I would. We recently saw one in a pasture near my house here in Montgomery County and have seen them just outside Houston as well as in the Hill Country.

    In Florida they are mainly prevalent around Lake Okeechobee and the area surrounding that.

    Great birds!

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    1. They are mainly coastal birds in Texas so it makes sense that you would see more of them 200+ miles closer to the coast than we are.

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  11. Such a nice looking bird. And what a wingspan!

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