ML619069014

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Continuing adult bird in the parking lot of “the Office” at 25835 Narbonne Ave. Specifically roosting in tree south of the CVS pharmacy. Locals have video of the bird from late April. Previous records have been long staying (many months to years). Photos. Appearance: all toes and hallux are intact, reasonable wear on the tail, and more Buffy head and breast with darker markings indicate this is the northern subspecies Cordatus: which generally exhibits a richer, more vibrant color with darker and more distinct streaking or markings on the head and body. Yellow-headed Caracara is a highly nomadic raptor that has demonstrated amazing potential for vagrancy with records in the Caribbean, Yucatán, Chiapas, Florida (accepted by the Florida Bird Records Committee, and soon by the ABA) and other unaccepted records in Humboldt, CA, Southern Texas, and North Carolina (all adults). The species has been steadily expanding its range Northward and far flung vagrant records have also seen a corresponding increase in recent years. These records have demonstrated a pattern of vagrancy that was not previously apparent. This is similar to long distance vagrancy seen in Crested Caracara, which has ended up all the way in the maritimes and Alberta. While Crested Caracaras are highly intelligent, they are not typically used in falconry, and Yellow-headed is even more rarely used (if even at all in North America?). While caracaras are birds of prey, they belong to a different subfamily (Polyborinae) and have different hunting and behavioral characteristics compared to more traditional falconry birds. They have have an opportunistic feeding behavior and their relatively smaller size might make them less suitable for the structured hunting practices typical in falconry. Given that yellow-headed caracaras are opportunistic feeders and adaptable birds, it is conceivable that one could end up on a container ship and survive the 6-10 day trip to from the Panama Canal to California by scavenging food and finding shelter on the vessel. However it could be equally conceivable for a vagrant bird to disperse northbound along the pacific coast, and regardless ship-assisted birds are still countable by established listing rules.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS R5

Lens

[X] Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM

ISO

1250

Focal length

800 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1000 sec

Dimensions

5855 pixels x 3937 pixels

Original file size

5.73 MB