A very distinctive bird of prey, the Crested Caracara has a large head with a black crest and a long neck with a white throat. These Falcons build a bulky nest of slender vines and sticks usually in a cabbage palm. Caracaras capture prey on the ground and in the air and prefer open grassland areas. The Caracara is both a scavenger, often eating carrion with vultures, and a predator of small mammals.

Latin Name: Caracara Cheriway

Habitat:Pine flatwoods

Diet: carrion, frogs, reptiles, small animals

Species Alert! Threatened