Crested Caracara
Caracara cheriway

f6.3 @ 1/6400s, ISO:800, Nikon D3S w 500mm

"Crested Caracara," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The northern crested caracara, also called the northern caracara and crested caracara, is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. Among caracaras, it is second in size only to the southern caracara. Broad-winged and long-tailed, it also has long legs and frequently walks and runs on the ground. It is very cross-shaped in flight. The adult has a black body, wings, crest and crown. The neck, rump, and conspicuous wing patches are white, and the tail is white with black barring and a broad terminal band. The breast is white, finely barred with black. The bill is thick, grey and hooked, and the legs are yellow. The cere and facial skin are deep yellow to orange-red depending on age and mood. Sexes are similar, but immature birds are browner, have a buff neck and throat, a pale breast streaked/mottled with brown, greyish-white legs and greyish or dull pinkish-purple facial skin and cere.

The Martin Refuge, Edinburg, Texas

01/24/2016