Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

Red-throated Caracara

Ibycter americanus

The Red-throated Caracara (Ibycter americanus) is a striking bird of prey, a member of the Falconidae family. It is the sole representative of the genus Ibycter, a monotypic genus that was once grouped with the Black Caracara in Daptrius. This species is notable for its predominantly black plumage, contrasted by white on the belly, tail feathers, and undertail coverts. The skin on the face and throat is bare, revealing a vivid red coloration, with sparse black feathers dotting the throat area. Both sexes are similar in appearance, with males averaging 51 cm in length and females slightly larger at 56 cm.

Identification Tips

When identifying the Red-throated Caracara, look for its larger size compared to the Black Caracara and its distinctive coloration. The bare red skin on the face and throat is a key characteristic, along with the white underparts. The wingspan of males is about 35.55 cm, with a tail length of 24.96 cm, while females have a wingspan of 35.93 cm and a tail length of 25.31 cm.

Habitat

This species thrives in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is well-adapted to flying in the understory where vegetation is less dense, allowing for better visibility to spot food and potential threats.

Distribution

The Red-throated Caracara is found from Mexico south to Venezuela, encompassing a wide range of Central and South American countries. Its presence has been recorded in nations such as Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.

Behaviour

This caracara is a social bird, often found in groups of four to eight individuals. It is highly territorial and employs a cooperative hunting strategy, with some members scouting for predators while others forage. Its flight is relatively slow, which is well-suited for maneuvering through the forest understory.

Song & Calls

While hunting, the Red-throated Caracara is mostly silent but may emit soft caws. The intricacies of its vocalizations during other behaviors remain less documented.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the Red-throated Caracara is specialized, focusing on the larvae of bees and wasps, though it will also consume adult insects, fruits, and berries. It employs a unique "fly-by" attack strategy to dislodge insect nests, demonstrating remarkable agility and coordination.

Conservation status

The Red-throated Caracara is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. However, its populations have experienced declines in certain areas due to habitat loss and changes in forest ecosystems, which are crucial for its specialized diet. Conservation efforts are important to maintain the biodiversity that supports this species' unique feeding habits.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Red-throated Caracaras on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Caracaras, Falcons

A photo of a Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus)

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
SuperOliviaGirl
Really great app
It’s easy to use and it’s fun to log the birds you notice on a walk or just in your garden. There’s a option to record the birds you see in a session which is really nice. Good excuse to stop for a while and just watch birds. I am also enjoying the information part where you can find out fact about birds from all over the world.
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vids🦉🦅
Trevarthen1
Birda fan
I really enjoy using Birda, all sightings are recorded and photos can be added. There are monthly challenges which help to get you out to record your sightings. The Birda community are great and are happy to help with unidentified bird sightings. Suitable for all ages and experience!
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
Alice J
Awesome Birding Community
I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.