#striated caracara

[birds-of-prey-daily]

Striated Caracara

[ridiculousbirdfaces]

Carra-carra, Saunders Island, Falklands by Gail Baird1 Forster's Caracara (Phalcoboenus australis)

[eucyon]

The Striated Caracara (also known as the Johnny rook) is an unusual member of the falcon family. Recognized for its intelligence and mischievous nature, these birds have been known to steal hats and cameras.

[snototter]

A Striated Caracara (Phalcoboenus australis) in Germany

by Cloudtail the Snow Leopard

[richards-paradigm]

[tenth-sentence]

They readily attack wounded birds: a cormorant in this state having taken to the shore, was immediately seized on by several, and its death hastened by their blows.

"Journal of Researches into the Natural History and Geology of the Countries Visited During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle Round the World, 1832-36" - Charles Darwin

[kasarasun]

Vultur is actually a genus name- it contains exactly one species, vultur gryphus, better known as the andean condor. However, I like to think the best contender for 'alhaitham bird' would be the striated caracara. They're very smart, very pretty, and uhhh

Ummmm

Haikavetham birds preach

[fowlblue]

Artemis Fowl Winged AU:

—————

For obvious reasons, the Fowls are Corvidae- intelligence, curiosity, strong family bonds… and a proclivity for extreme mischief.

Artemis Fowl II- Western Jackdaw:

An underappreciated little corvid with glossy black feathers and bright blue eyes, perfect for Artemis! I've already mentioned corvid intelligence, but let me note in particular they are incredible problem solvers... and sometimes a little silly.

Artemis Fowl I (Fowl Senior)- Common Raven:

Clever? Check! Iconic? Check! Believed to be unfortunate to come across? Unfortunately, check! And finally, appropriately scruffy? Check!

Angeline Fowl- Barn Owl:

Well, some member of the family deserved to be an owl, and Barn Owls have the perfect mix of elegance, beauty and intellect to suit Angeline- they’re also quite cute, and can be very silly (spoken from experience!)

Myles and Beckett Fowl- Stellars’ Jay and Blue Jay:

Look at these birds and tell me it’s not the twins. Jays are known for mischief-making, extreme intellect (despite often being underestimated) and colorful, loud personalities- perfect for them!

Domovoi Butler- Golden Eagle:

A classic! While I was originally thinking ‘owl’, eagles have a certain reputation of nobility and power- they’ve also historically been used in falconry. They are fierce, protective, and incredibly strong birds.

Juliet Butler- Black and Chestnut Eagle:

While I was this close to going with a Crested Caracara or some form of kite, Juliet deserves ‘eagle’ status alongside her brother. Further research led me to various ‘hawk-eagles’, smaller than their more famous cousins and built just a little bit different- this bird is colorful and quick and still quite powerful. Though, in all truth, I imagine Juliet would dye her feathers green no matter what wings she’d have.

Holly Short- Common Kestrel:

A small bird for a small fairy! While a kestrel is one of the smallest raptors, they are nonetheless incredibly fierce and capable of some pretty fancy flying, including the unique ability to ‘hover’ in midair!

Mulch- Burrowing Owl

I don’t think I really have to explain myself here, lol.

(now… onto the villains! Be warned for some blood ahead!)

Opal Koboi- Little Brown Bat

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Why not a vampire bat? She’s a villain!” And A. It feels too easy, and B. Vampire bats are highly social (which, granted, most bats are), and more importantly, known to take care of older or sick members of their swarm! That is too compassionate for Opal. So instead, I chose something known for being small, fairly ‘cute’, and, most importantly-

Absolutely full of rage.

Jon Spiro- Peregrine Falcon

A cosmopolitan bird, the peregrine falcon is a bird perfectly at home in the big city-in fact, peregrine falcons have been observed to fly faster and hunt more successfully when among the skyscrapered skyline! Primarily preying on other birds, the peregrine falcon is a serious threat, even if it's not particularly big or strong, and its urban lifestyle makes it well-suited to one Jon Spiro.

Britva- Giant Petrel

A relatively underrated villain in the series, but in my opinion the most grounded in reality and particularly intimidating. Given the Bay of Kola is his territory, a seabird felt appropriate, and these birds are big, bad, and brutal. A true scourge on other creatures, that's for sure.

Damon Kronski- Blood Pheasant

Finally, some Galliforme representation! These birds are relatively uncommon in the world of public knowledge, but very flashy- just look at it! The males are brightly-colored, but sharply-spurred, and can be quite fierce when disturbed.

Teddy Bleedham-Drye- Cape Vulture

I don't really think I need to elaborate here, lol.

[hellwolfwyvern]

this is an individual bipedal man to me

[thoughtlessarse]

Scientists challenging the problem-solving capacities of rare birds of prey on the Falkland Islands have found them astonishingly quick to learn when food is on offer – and remember those skills a year later. The finding supports Darwin’s assessment of the birds’ remarkable intelligence when he visited during the voyage of the Beagle, and also shows the sorts of intelligence we most admire are more widespread among birds than has previously been acknowledged. Humans have long been reluctant to acknowledge intelligence in animals – and when we did, it came most easily with our nearest relatives, the great apes, followed by other mammals. More recently, however, tool use and problem-solving in birds like crows and parrots have become too obvious to deny. Falcons have generally not been included on that list, despite the extent to which we have formed symbiotic relationships with them, but that might be about to change. Striated caracaras (Phalcoboenus australis) are members of the Falconidae family that live in Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. These cold islands lack abundant sources of food, and the caracaras will eat whatever is going, including penguins (and their eggs) and seal pups. They work collectively to attack larger prey, and perhaps it is this that has developed their brain power. Darwin had mixed feelings about the caracaras, writing about them more than any other bird he encountered on the long voyage, but not always positively. One even stole a compass from the ship, while a hat was carried far before being abandoned and recovered. Although critical of their character, Darwin did not miss the caracaras’ intelligence and pondered why so capable a bird would live somewhere so unappealing. Noting that the caracaras behave more like ravens than other falcons, Katie Harrington of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and colleagues tested 15 wild birds by setting out a puzzle box with food available to those who could solve one of eight rotating challenges. “They were ace! We were really blown away by how quickly they set to the tasks and solved them. This is unlike anything we’ve seen before in wild birds of prey,” Harrington said in a statement accompanying a paper on the challenge last year.

continue reading

[mitanni]

Striated Caracara launching a special move

[hurrraaid]

Random falconry question that just struck me: do you ever handle any type of corvids/crows? With how smart they are it makes me wonder if it would make easier to train, or if they're not really included in falconry stuff cause they're not birds of prey?

I don't personally work with any. But there are many people that train and work with corvids. It can't technically come under falconry because falconry by definition is only with birds of prey, but the training methods seem to be very similar (especially with ravens).

However the intelligence is a double edged sword because it creates an insane need for not only physical but mental stimulation. They are very resource demanding and I'd classify them as insanely high maintenance birds.

I work with Striated Caracaras which are considered to be the most intelligent birds of prey, no where close as the corvids but I can say from personal experience that their needs for stimulation and interaction are higher than anything else I've ever worked with. So to imagine a corvid which would be that but X100 I don't think I'm ready for one.

[science-selected-yura15cbx]

Long-term memory in wild falcons: Current Biology

Caracaras remembered the solutions to puzzles a year later. And they solved them four times faster.

Ornithologists asked caracaras from the Falkland Islands to solve puzzles again that they had already solved a year ago. In almost 70 percent of cases, the caracaras solved the puzzles in the same ways as the previous year, and, what’s more, they solved them much faster than naive individuals. Scientists came to the conclusion that the long-term memory of these birds allows them to retain skills for at least a year without training.

So the birds remember me when I feed them.

Каракары вспомнили решения головоломок спустя год. И решили их в четыре раза быстрее.

Орнитологи предложили каракарам с Фолклендских островов снова решить головоломки, которые они уже решали год назад. Почти в 70 процентах случаев каракары решали головоломки теми же способами, что и в прошлом году, и, ко всему прочему, справлялись куда быстрее наивных особей. Ученые пришли к выводу, что долговременная память этих птиц позволяет им сохранять навыки по крайней мере на протяжении года без тренировок.

Значит и меня птицы помнят, когда я их кормлю.

[keplercryptids]

[image description copied from alt text: a digital drawing of a striated caracara, a bird of prey with black feathers, patterned with lighter gray feathers down its chest. Its face is sparsely-feathered. It's looking off to the side. The background is light green.]

i read a book about caracaras and spoiler alert: i love them so much. so i just had to draw this little friend.