Chimango Caracara

Identification

The Chimango Caracara is a medium-sized raptor measuring 32 to 43 cm in length with a wingspan of 80 to 99 cm, weighing between 170 to 260 grams. Adults are predominantly brownish with dark streaks on the side of the head and hindneck, while their undersides are mottled or barred with rufous-brown. A distinctive feature is their white uppertail coverts and grayish-white tail with a wide black band near the tip. The sexes differ slightly in bare parts: males display bright yellow skin around the eye, yellow legs, and yellow feet, while females have reddish-pink eye skin and bluish-gray legs and feet. Juvenile birds show a stronger rufous tinge overall. The southern subspecies, D. c. temucoensis, is noticeably darker and more heavily marked than its northern counterpart.

Range & Habitat

This versatile caracara is found across much of southern South America, with the nominate subspecies inhabiting northern and central Chile, central Argentina, Paraguay, southern Brazil, and Uruguay. The southern subspecies extends from southern Chile through Tierra del Fuego to Cape Horn, with occasional vagrants recorded on the Falkland Islands. The species was also introduced to Easter Island in the early 20th century.

The Chimango Caracara thrives in remarkably diverse open landscapes, from grassy Andean foothills and heathland to shrub-steppe, marshes, and coastal flats. It readily adapts to open woodlands, plantations, villages, suburbs, and urban areas. The species is particularly common in the ranching and wheat belts of the Argentinian Pampas and around Chilean fishing villages, making it the most common raptor in Argentinean Patagonia. While most abundant below 2,000 meters, it regularly occurs up to 3,000 meters and occasionally reaches 4,000 meters elevation.

Behaviour & Diet

This intelligent bird is a year-round resident throughout most of its range, though southern populations show partial migratory behavior, moving north during the austral winter. Northern populations regularly venture into Bolivia and occasionally as far north as Brazil during the non-breeding season.

The Chimango Caracara is an omnivorous opportunist, described as both a small-scale predator and general scavenger. Its diet includes insects and invertebrates, lizards, amphibians, bird eggs and nestlings, and rodents. It readily scavenges roadkill and larger carcasses abandoned by other predators, supplementing its diet with rotten fruit, fungi, and material from livestock dung. The bird typically forages on the wing, flying 10 meters above ground and dropping onto prey or food sources. Famously, it follows plowing farmers in assemblies exceeding 100 birds, congregates at grass fires, and frequents fishing villages and shellfish processing plants. It even pirates food from other raptors and occasionally catches live fish from water surfaces.

Best Time & Places to See It

The Chimango Caracara's breeding season runs from September to January, with eggs laid between mid-October and mid-November. This is an excellent period for observing the species' nesting behavior and territorial activities. The bird's year-round presence in most of its range means it can be encountered throughout the year, though populations are most concentrated in the Argentinian Pampas, southern Chile, and Patagonia.

Look for this adaptable raptor in open country near human activity—along roads, near farmland during plowing, at garbage dumps, and around coastal fishing settlements. Its association with disturbed and modified landscapes means it often appears in easily accessible areas where travelers frequent, making it a reliable sighting for those exploring temperate South America.

Photography Tips

The Chimango Caracara's brown plumage blends easily with scrubby vegetation, so search open landscapes methodically and watch for birds quartering low over grassland. The species' habit of following farmers and congregating at fires provides predictable photo opportunities, as does its frequent perching on posts, rocks, and fence lines. Early morning and late afternoon light will enhance details of the pale uppertail coverts and tail pattern against darker plumage.

When photographing, watch for the distinctive sexual differences in eye and leg coloration—males' bright yellow contrasts dramatically with females' reddish-pink and gray tones. Nesting birds in trees offer chances to capture behavioral shots during the breeding season, though ground-nesting colonies in marshes provide exceptional opportunities for documenting colonial nesting behavior and family groups.