Mountain Caracara

Phalcoboenus megalopterus (Meyen, 1834)

Mountain Caracara, Phalcoboenus megalopterus, is a bird of prey in the Falconidae family that breeds in South America from Peru to central Chile. It is a bird of open Andean country, especially puna and páramo, and is often seen in unfenced, treeless places where it can use posts or poles as lookout points. It is a medium-sized caracara with a black head, back and chest, white underparts, black wings with small white shoulder patches, and a beak that shifts from pale blue at the tip to bright orange. Juveniles are brown.

Order

Falconiformes

Family

Falconidae — Caracaras, Falcons

Breeding range

South America: Peru to c Chile