Chimango Caracara

Chimango Caracara
Nominate in Rio Gande do Sul, Brazil
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Milvago
Species: M. chimango
Binomial name
Milvago chimango
(Vieillot, 1816)

The Chimango Caracara also known as Tiuque (Milvago chimango) is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family.

It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is a vagrant to the Falkland Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, temperate grassland, and heavily degraded former forest.

Contents

Habitat

This bird is typically found at edges of water, in hills, in fields, the latter especially if they are newly ploughed. An example habitat for this bird is in the La Campana National Park dry forest in the low elevation hills of central Chile; in this location, one of the dominant trees is the endangered Chilean wine palm.[2]

Species description

Length: 37 to 40 cm. A typical Chimango has a mantle and back edged with cinnamon brown feathers and white. Neck, chest, abdomen and belly light brown. Head dark brown. It is the smallest variety of caracara. Wings dark brown stripe and white in the basal half of the primaries. The tail is light brown with dark brown terminal band. Eyes are brown. Peak color based clearer. Legs are light gray in the male and yellowish in the female.

References

Line notes

  1. ^ BirdLife International. 2004
  2. ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2008

External links