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THE
CARACARA or
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner in Gonzales Countyby
John Troesser |
Caracara
Photo courtesy John Darsnek |
Caracara, Vulture
of the Millennium! It's
name is echoic, meaning the name imitates it's cry. Caracara is the sound that
is heard by Brazilian Indians. Why we have to have Brazilian Indians name it is
beyond us. |
The Caracara
or Mexican EagleNext
time you find yourself heading toward Gonzales
County, pay attention when you pass the roadside road-kill buffets. The fastidious,
over-dressed diners feasting with the common garden-variety vultures on the carcass
du jour are more than likely the beautiful and regal Crested Caracara.
These are members of the Falcon family and they usually stand out like tuxedos
in a soup kitchen serving line. The bird, sometimes referred to as a Mexican
eagle, has manners equal to its regal appearance. They are monogamous, they
build (extremely sturdy) nests and are attentive parents who preen daily, setting
a good example for their offspring. Sharing a carcass with inferior birds is done
reluctantly. The Caracara is quite capable of killing living prey and with its
powerful legs, The birds have been known to run down their prey – or even wade
in shallow water.
For reasons known only to the Caracara, Gonzales
County has the highest concentration of these magnificent birds in the entire
U.S. Indeed, it is hard to spend a day in rural Gonzales
County without seeing at least one. Gonzales
County’s Palmetto State
Park is where the Audubon Society takes its yearly census.
While their
range extends throughout Mexico
all the way to Argentina, they are only found in Texas,
New Mexico and Arizona in the U.S. - with a small colony located in central Florida. |
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Juvenile
Northern Crested Caracara, under care at the Wildlife Rehab & Education Center
Photo courtesy Cyndi Bohannon |
| The
series of photos included here were taken along highway 71 near Bastrop,
Texas. (Bastrop County shares a border with Gonzales County). A grass fire
in early March 2009, scorched some 50 acres east of town, exposing wildlife and
providing a feast for scavenging birds. In this case, the meal was a four foot
rattlesnake. |
A
caracara with its prey
TE photos, March 2009 |
By
Maggie Van Ostrand
'It
seems the Caracaras must have expensive lobbyists representing them in Washington
DC. The United States Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects Crested Caracaras as
an endangered species, even though these big birds only visit Arizona, Florida,
and Texas. This leaves the remaining 47 states to the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker,
Red-Footed Booby and Dark-Rumped Petrel. However, in Mexico, where Caracaras have
the exalted title of National Bird, humans sometimes eat them. Go figure."
more |
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