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The crested caracara (Caracara plancus), also known as the Mexican eagle, [3] is a bird of prey in the falcon family, Falconidae (formerly in the genus Polyborus).It is found from the southern and southeastern United States through Mexico (where it is present in every state) and Central and South America, as well as some Caribbean islands.
He placed all birds of prey into a single order, Accipitres, subdividing this into four genera: Vultur (vultures), Falco (eagles, hawks, falcons, etc.), Strix (owls), and Lanius (shrikes). This approach was followed by subsequent authors such as Gmelin , Latham and Turton .
The largest falcon is the gyrfalcon at up to 65 cm (26 in) in length. The smallest falcon species is the pygmy falcon, which measures just 20 cm (7.9 in). As with hawks and owls, falcons exhibit sexual dimorphism, with the females typically larger than the males, thus allowing a wider range of prey species. [10]
Hawks are often used in the sport, as are other birds. Seen from a distance in the skies – hawks and falcons look very similar with the same general shape and predatory style.
The bird that can achieve the greatest airspeed is the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), able to exceed 320 km/h (200 mph) in its dives. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] A close relative of the common swift, the white-throated needletail ( Hirundapus caudacutus ), is commonly reported as the fastest bird in level flight with a reported top speed of 169 km/h (105 ...
The genus name is from Late Latin falco meaning a "falcon". The specific epithet sparverius is Medieval Latin for a "sparrowhawk". [8] Until the sixth edition of the AOU Checklist of North American Birds was published by the American Ornithologists' Union in 1983, the most commonly used name for the American kestrel was the sparrow hawk.
Members of the "Buteogallus group" are also called hawks, with the exception of solitary eagle species. Buteo is the type genus of the subfamily Buteoninae. This subfamily traditionally includes eagles and sea-eagles, but Lerner and Mindell (2005) [ 8 ] proposed placing them into separate the subfamilies Aquilinae and Haliaaetinae.
In its range the prairie falcon must compete for food and space with other often larger raptors including the peregrine falcon, red tailed hawk, Harris's hawk, ferruginous hawk, great horned owl, and golden eagle. The large, powerful, and surprisingly agile golden eagle is the apex avian predator in this range, and is generally willing and able ...