| Terrestrial Caracara | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Falconiformes |
| Family: | Falconidae |
| Subfamily: | Polyborinae |
| Genus: | Caracara |
| Species: | †C. tellustris |
| Binomial name | |
| Caracara tellustris (Olson, 2008) |
|
The Terrestrial Caracara (Caracara tellustris) is a prehistoric species of bird in the falcon family, Falconidae. It was native to the island of Jamaica in the Caribbean, where it probably inhabited dry forests in the island's south. C. tellustris was large and had diminished wings; it was probably mostly terrestrial and may have been flightless. The Terrestrial Caracara become extinct during the Quaternary extinction event. This species was described based on fossils discovered in a cave near Portland Ridge.[1]