Milvago chimachima
In 3 days ~90% 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 50% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Headed Caracara sighting in Caracas on a given day, based on 6,681 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 12th most-seen of the 298 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and October–January
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Headed Caracara in Caracas on a given day, against about 50% in February–April and June–September, the lowest months.
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.
3rd of 30
Of the 30 cities where we can rate Yellow-Headed Caracara sightings, Caracas ranks 3rd at about 50%. The best odds are in Cali (Colombia, about 80%) and Barranquilla (Colombia, about 60%).
Same family: Falconidae
The closest relatives of the Yellow-Headed Caracara that you can see in Caracas (family Falconidae, Falcons and Caracaras) are Crested Caracara (about 10%) and Aplomado Falcon (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 Caracas (6,681 verified sightings), 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.
