YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA Milvago chimachima
The handsome Yellow-headed Caracara is a large scavenging falcon. Like all Caracaras he can be recognised in flight by the pale windows at the ends of the rounded wings. Yellow-headed Caracaras are the least often encountered of the three Paraguayan Caracaras. Their scientific name chimachima comes from the local Spanish name, which in turn is an onomatopoeic rendition of the call.
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FIGURE 1 - Adult lateral view, location unknown (Frank Fragano undated).
FIGURE 2 - Adult ventral view, location unknown (Frank Fragano undated).
FIGURE 3 - Adult dorsal view, location unknown (Frank Fragano undated).
FIGURE 4 - Adult in flight, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Sylvia Qu June 2008).
FIGURE 5 - Adult in flight, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Sylvia Qu June 2008).
FIGURE 6 - Juvenile lateral view, location unknown (Frank Fragano undated).
FIGURE 7 - Juvenile dorsal view, location unknown (Frank Fragano undated).
FIGURE 8 - Adult, Zoologico Juan XXIII, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith August 2009).
VIDEO A - Adult, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith December 2006).
VIDEO B - Adult, Estancia Kanguery, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith April 2010).
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Milvago chimachima
1 contact call and song  recorded PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2007)
Click the link to hear the call. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website Xeno-Canto - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.
Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Material on this page was provided by Paul Smith, Frank Fragano and Sylvia Qu and is used with their permission.