Phalcoboenus megalopterus
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The mountain caracara (Daptrius megalopterus), (Spanish: corequenque) is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in puna and páramo in the Andes, ranging from northern Ecuador, through Peru and Bolivia, to northern Argentina and Chile. It is generally uncommon to fairly common. It resembles the closely related carunculated caracara and white-throated caracara, but unlike those species, its chest is uniform black. Juveniles are far less distinctive than the red-faced pied adults, being overall brown with dull pinkish-grey facial skin.
The mountain caracara was formally described and illustrated in 1834 by the Prussian naturalist Franz Meyen under the binomial name Aquila megaloptera based on specimens collect in the Cordillera of Chile. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek μεγαλως/megalōs meaning "exceedingly" with -πτερος/-pteros meaning "-winged". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The mountain caracara was formerly placed in the genus Phalcoboenus. Molecular genetic studies found that the genus Milvago was polyphyletic with the chimango caracara sister to the genus Phalcoboenus and the yellow-headed caracara sister...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Paz | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | Cochabamba | 🇧🇴 Bolivia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | bioparco | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 5 | Camperdown Wildlife Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Ecozoológico San Martín | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 8 | Arequipa zoo | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 9 | Zoológico de Oruro | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 10 | Zoologischer Garten Hof | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Agroflori Parque de las Aves | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 12 | Gauntlet Birds of Prey | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 13 | Greifvogelpark Buchs | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Caracara sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 377 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 27th most-seen of the 113 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Caracara in Lauca National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January and October, the lowest months. That is one of Lauca National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 150 mm in January. August has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mountain 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.
Only Lauca National Park, in our data
Lauca National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Mountain Caracara sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Falconidae
The closest relatives of the Mountain Caracara that you can see in Lauca National Park (family Falconidae, Falcons and Caracaras) are Aplomado Falcon (about 20%) and American Kestrel (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mountain Caracara is recorded against all the birds logged in Lauca National Park (377 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.
