Milvago chimachima
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The yellow-headed caracara (Daptrius chimachima) is a new-world bird of prey in the family Falconidae, of the Falconiformes order (true falcons, caracaras and their kin). It can be found in North America and South America, from Nicaragua to Uruguay.
The yellow-headed caracara was formally described in 1816 by French ornithologist Louis Vieillot with the binomial name Polyborus chimachima. Vieillot based his account on the "Chimachima" from Paraguay that had been described by the Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara in 1802. The specific epithet is from a local Argentinian onomatopoeia word "Chimachima" for a caracara. The yellow-headed caracara was formerly placed with the chimango caracara in the genus Milvago. Molecular genetic studies found that Milvago was polyphyletic with the chimango caracara sister to the genus Phalcoboenus and the yellow-headed caracara sister to species in the genus Daptrius. As the genetic divergence was relatively shallow, the polyphyly was resolved by expanding the genus Daptrius to include the two other genera.
Two subspecies are recognised:
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 4 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 9 | Belém | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Ukumarí Biopark | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Gramado Zoo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Zoológico Municipal de Cascavel | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Municipal Zoological Park Quinzinho de Barros | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Complejo Turistico de Quistococha | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 7 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 8 | Zoológico Municipal de Guarulhos | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Gauntlet Birds of Prey | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Parque dos Falcões | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 11 | Suffolk Owl Sanctuary | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Zoológico do Município de São Bernardo do Campo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 13 | Eureka Orchideeën en Vogelbush | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Headed Caracara sighting in Amacayacu National Natural Park on a given day, based on 182 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 437 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Headed Caracara in Amacayacu National Natural Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-Headed Caracara sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
13th of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate Yellow-Headed Caracara sightings, Amacayacu National Natural Park ranks 13th at about 40%. The best odds are in Coiba National Park (Panama, about 70%), Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 50%) and Emas National Park (Brazil, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Falconidae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-Headed Caracara that you can see in Amacayacu National Natural Park (family Falconidae, Falcons and Caracaras) are Black Caracara (about 20%), Laughing Falcon (about 20%) and Red-throated Caracara (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-Headed Caracara is recorded against all the birds logged in Amacayacu National Natural Park (182 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
