Fun Guadalupe Caracara Facts For Kids

Are you fascinated by falcons, like the white gyrfalcon? Then here we have all the information on the now Extinct Guadalupe caracara.

The Guadalupe caracara (Caracara lutosa), or otherwise known as the mourning caracara and caracara de Guadalupe belonged to the family Falconidae of birds. These extinct birds from the falcon family are closely related to the northern crested caracara (Caracara cheriway) and the southern crested caracara (Caracara plancus). The history of this extinct bird species is tragic.

They fell prey to human cruelty, and all the birds of their species have been dead for over a century. Their habitat range was limited to Guadalupe in Mexico. They were deemed dangerous because it is said that they posed a threat to farm animals.

That's why farmers started hunting them mercilessly. These birds were not migratory, so this caused a total extinction of the species.

Read on to know more about the Guadalupe caracara, and if you like this article, then also check out collared falconet and grey falcon.

Guadalupe Caracara Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Guadalupe caracara?

Guadalupe caracara (Caracara lutosa) is an extinct species of bird of the falcon family.

What class of animal does a Guadalupe caracara belong to?

Caracara de Guadalupe belonged to the family Falconidae and class Aves of Animalia kingdom.

How many Guadalupe caracaras are there in the world?

The last time these extinct birds were noticed by anyone was back in 1903. Since that time, they have been declared as extinct species.

There was an abundance of these birds in their habitat range in history. However, people started to see them as a threat, and due to the hunting carried out by humans, these birds eventually became extinct, and not a single number of birds are alive today.

Where does a Guadalupe caracara live?

The Guadalupe caracara (Caracara lutosa) was endemic to Mexico. They mainly lived in the Isla Guadalupe or Guadalupe island, situated in the Pacific Ocean, at the west of Baja California. They were thought to be non migratory resident birds.

What is a Guadalupe caracara's habitat?

It is assumed that these extinct birds used to live in open lands on the Guadalupe island. The other two closely related species from their genus, the northern crested caracaras and southern crested caracaras (Caracara plancus), are also known to live in open lands in mid, high, and low elevated lands in their habitat range.

They can be seen in many types of grasslands, like pastures, agricultural fields, prairies, open spaces in forests, marshes, and river edges. We can assume the Guadalupe caracaras also lived in similar habitats.

Who do Guadalupe caracaras live with?

Due to a lack of research, we do not know how these birds lived. However, other closely related birds of its genus, the northern and the southern crested caracaras, form pairs when they come of age. During foraging, small groups of four to five birds can be seen. We can assume the Guadalupe caracaras lived the same way.

How long does a Guadalupe caracara live?

The lifespan of the Guadalupe caracara bird (Caracara lutosa) is not known. However, the northern and southern crested caracaras live for about 25 years in the wild and could live for around 30 years in captivity. We can assume the lifespan of the Guadalupe caracaras was also the same.

How do they reproduce?

Nothing is really available about the process of reproduction in these extinct birds. However, we can assume the pattern from the only two other closely related birds of its genus, the northern crested caracaras and the southern crested caracaras (Caracara plancus).

The breeding season of these birds varies according to the geographic range of the birds. They are known to be monogamous and pair for life.

Some forms of courtship behavior are present between males and the females. After a nest is built, both the male and the female protect the territory. The female lays about two to three eggs.

The eggs are then incubated for the next 28-32 days. The nesting period for the hatchlings is around 50-56 days.

The birds can still be seen to stay in familial groups about three months after the hatchlings fledge. We can assume the same pattern of reproductive behavior was present in the Guadalupe caracaras.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Guadalupe caracara, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is listed as Extinct. The birds were once a common sight in their habitat range.

However, they have been described as vicious in the words of Edward Palmer, a renowned British botanist. They fed on goats regularly, which became a problem for farmers and herders. They started hunting and poisoning the birds.

Eventually, these birds became one of the few extinct species whose extinction was caused intentionally by humans. No conservation actions are planned, and even if they were planned, nothing could be done as not a single number of the bird species has been seen in the past century.

Guadalupe Caracara Fun Facts

What do Guadalupe caracaras look like?

The Guadalupe caracara (Caracara lutosa) was a big sized bird species. Their appearance was close to the northern crested caracaras.

The upper breast of the Guadalupe caracara was less white, while the belly was not black, and like the breast, the belly was barred. The upper parts of the bird were brown and turned blacker toward the crown. The tip of their tail, shoulders, and primary coverts were also blackish.

Juveniles had different plumage. Their upper parts were dark brown, the feathers of middle parts were paler brown with white or buff streaks, and the tail and wings were a combination of brownish gray color.

How cute are they?

These birds belonged to the falcon family. Like any other falcons, these birds also had a magnificent look to them. Cute might not be the proper adjective for them. However, they were known to be vicious.

How do they communicate?

Caracaras, like the northern and southern crested caracaras, communicate visually and vocally. The vocal cues that these birds had are not known due to a lack of research.

However, all species of the falcon family and eagles have excellent vision. Some species have the ability to spot a rabbit from more than a mile away. We can assume these birds had such extraordinary sight as well.

How big is a Guadalupe caracara?

An adult Guadalupe caracara (Caracara lutosa) was about 21.2 in (54 cm) in length. They were slightly bigger than prairie falcons. An adult prairie falcon is around 13-18 in (35-47 cm) in length.

How fast can a Guadalupe caracara move?

The speed at which the Guadalupe caracaras moved is not known. However, falcons, in general, can fly at an extremely fast pace.

The fastest falcon is the peregrine falcon, which can fly at a whopping speed of 242.3 mph (390 kph). If not at this speed, we can at least get an idea from this feat that Guadalupe caracaras were also able to fly at a pretty fast pace.

How much does a Guadalupe caracara weigh?

The weight of this species of bird is not known. However, these were big sized birds, so we can assume they were pretty heavy.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males of the species were known as cocks, and females were known as hens.

What would you call a baby Guadalupe caracara?

A baby Guadalupe caracara (Caracara lutosa) was known as a chick or a hatchling.

What do they eat?

These birds were carnivorous in nature. They fed largely on carrions. Their preferred food was offals of a slain goat. Other than that, their food also consisted of insects, shellfish, small birds, worms, and mice. Sometimes crickets and beetles also became their prey.

Are they dangerous?

None of these birds are alive anymore as they became extinct in the early 1900s. They were known to be vicious and aggressive as it's recorded that they fed largely on farming animals. However, many records might have been exaggerated for the benefit of the settlers who decided to wipe this species of the falcon family to extinction.

Would they make a good pet?

These were wild birds and lived off carrions for their meal. They were shot and poisoned to extinction because they were deemed to be dangerous. However, we can't imagine anyone tried to domesticate these birds. Otherwise, some birds of this species would still be alive today.

Did you know...

The eggs of Guadalupe caracara (Caracara lutosa) resembles eggs of their closely related species, northern crested caracaras. They are white in color with reddish brown blotches.

How did the Guadalupe caracara get its name?

The Guadalupe caracara gets its name from its native land, the Guadalupe island.

Why did the Guadalupe caracara go extinct?

It is said that these birds were so vicious that even if there was a carcass lying around, they went for live farming animals. Many believe that this may have been an exaggeration.

However, this became the reason why farmers banded together to kill these birds. Slowly, the water bodies that these birds visited were poisoned, or they were shot when they went near the water bodies.

These birds were endemic to Guadalupe Island, so falling prey to these meant the extinction of the species, which happened eventually.

The goats the settlers were trying to protect were not native. The goats eventually became feral and ended the ecosystem of the island, and many more species became endangered due to that.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these black falcon facts and sea eagle facts for kids pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable falcon coloring pages.

*We've been unable to source an image of Guadalupe caracara and have used an image of southern crested caracara instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Guadalupe caracara, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.