Coraves Birding Tours
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The Carunculated Caracara is the most northerly member of the Mountain Caracara superspecies. Members of this group of species are distributed from Colombia south along the Andes to Patagonia and the Falkland Islands, but the Carunculated Caracara is found only in the high Andean paramo of Ecuador and southern Colombia. It is the only caracara at these elevations and easily is identified by its predominantly black plumage and foraging behavior. It occurs in family groups of up to eight which roam the paramo searching for almost anything edible, including worms, maggots, rodents, birds, lizards, and even vegetable matter. Despite the catholic diet, there is considerable local variation, and the consumption of certain food items can change drastically even from one mountain to another.