Kingdom Animalia Class Aves Family Falconidae | Phylum Chordata Order Falconiformes Subfamily Polyborinae | |
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Caracara is a genus in the Family Falconidae and the Subfamily of Polyborinae. This genus consists of two extant, the Northern and Southern Crested Caracaras, and one extinct species, the Guadalupe Caracara. The only visible difference between the two living species is that the southern species possesses more barred plumage than the northern species. The minor physical differences between these species resulted in their originally being classified as a single species.
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Taxonomy
The Northern and Southern Caracara are the only living examples of the modern Caracara genus.
Prehistoric Extinctions
Known from fossil records:
Prehistoric Records
The fossil record proves the long history of the mainland "Crested Caracaras". Remains of Northern Caracaras, slightly larger than those of modern times but otherwise identical, were found in the famous La Brea Tar Pits. In addition, the Guadalupe Caracara may derive from an already distinct population of Northern Caracara in western Mexico that, subsequently, was displaced by the main continental population.