Crested Caracara

Taken last week at Viera

Looks Like He got him a Coot!!

Good shots, Scott. Did the caracara attack the coot? I thought they mostly eat carrion.

Great shots.

hTr wrote in post #9883813
Looks Like He got him a Coot!!

That he did!

sparker1 wrote in post #9883824
Good shots, Scott. Did the caracara attack the coot? I thought they mostly eat carrion.

Yes he did Stan, but the Coot was up on the road and had left its group....almost like it wasn't well. Caracara are mostly scavengers but they will take birds, amphibians and small mammals given the opportunity.

andydajo wrote in post #9883833
Great shots.

Thanks Andy

Brilliant shots Scott... such a cool looking bird.

db

dbriz wrote in post #9884118
Brilliant shots Scott... such a cool looking bird.

db

Thanks Dave & they are a great looking bird.

Great shots Scott

Great looking bird Scott. Sorry about the coot. I sure like coots! I didn't know those Caracara's would attack a live bird!

Obviously, he's a leg man...

Excellent Series!

Interesting looking bird. Great catch, Scott, although like Steve I'm sorry about that coot...

Good shots, I see at least one or two whenever I am in Viera. It seems like they just mingle
with a flock of vultures, all after the same feast I suppose.

Shar824 wrote in post #9884614
Great shots Scott

Thanks Sharon

ajosteve wrote in post #9884762
Great looking bird Scott. Sorry about the coot. I sure like coots! I didn't know those Caracara's would attack a live bird!

Thanks Steve....I think they are opportunists.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #9884767
Obviously, he's a leg man...

Excellent Series!

Thanks Jay

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #9885469
Interesting looking bird. Great catch, Scott, although like Steve I'm sorry about that coot...

Thanks Levina.

Garry Gibson wrote in post #9885487
Good shots, I see at least one or two whenever I am in Viera. It seems like they just mingle
with a flock of vultures, all after the same feast I suppose.

Thanks Gary...there were some vultures around, but there was a definite pecking order and the vultures stayed away until the Caracara was finished. The vultures didn't even go near the Coot while the Caracara made a couple of trips back to its nest to feed the young ones (apparently there are two).

Very nice set, Scott. The Caracara do in fact hunt coots, ducks and other birds, but will also take full advantage of rood kill. Whats fun to watch is them hunting for eggs. They will watch a turtle dig a nest, then come back and dig up the eggs, but sometimes they will not wait that long and take the eggs as the turtle is laying them. They also steal alligator eggs.

IraRunyan wrote in post #9885925
Very nice set, Scott. The Caracara do in fact hunt coots, ducks and other birds, but will also take full advantage of rood kill. Whats fun to watch is them hunting for eggs. They will watch a turtle dig a nest, then come back and dig up the eggs, but sometimes they will not wait that long and take the eggs as the turtle is laying them. They also steal alligator eggs.

Thanks for the informaion Ira & I'm envious of you Floridians who are able to watch these birds (and a lot of others) all the time. My guess is that they let the aligators finish laying their eggs