Caracara – Wildlife Center of Texas

January 2010 Update

NEW PELICAN VIDEO! Watch as WR&E staff gavage feed a juvenile pelican who was rescued from the fifth floor of a downtown high-rise. Click here to view the video! UPCOMING EVENT – GOLF TOURNAMENT WR&E proudly announces its 6th Annual Benefit Golf Tournament will be held at Evergreen Point Golf Course in Baytown! This is a beautiful course, the azaleas will be in bloom and lucky participants may glimpse the resident pair of Bald Eagles. Mark Your Calendars Wednesday March 31, 2010 This year in addition to all the other goodies that you've come to expect at a WR&E Golf Tournament, there will be a silent auction. CLICK HERE for the registration form. CLICK HERE to contact the Tournament Coordinator, E. J. Rogers. UPCOMING EVENT – CARACARA RELEASE Great News! The Caracara featured in the last newsletter has been moved to a large flight cage to condition his wings. While there, he has shown himself to be fit for release! Once the weather improves, we will be releasing him. We've reserved an invitation for you - watch you inbox for more details. UPCOMING EVENT – OILED WILDLIFE RESPONSE WORKSHOPS WR&E is currently working out the logistics for the 2010 Oiled Wildlife Response Workshops. Demand continues to climb and WR&E is currently planning seven workshops! We’ll be in touch once dates are finalized. PATIENT UPDATES The three amigos are happily relocated to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. The high-rise pelican is eating with gusto and gaining weight. He will be released once we have an extended period of warm weather. The batting cage Barred Owl is recovering from his entanglement, he is eating well and will be moved to a large flight cage soon to [...]

What’s for Dinner?

The Northern Crested Caracara is of the family Falconidae, subspecies Polyborinae or Caracarinae depending on the source. In Latin it is known as Polyborus (eats almost anything) plancus (eagle). But it is also known as the Caracara Cheriway, Audubon’s Caracara or the Mexican Eagle. Five genera are recognized and most are listed as threatened. Classified as a falcon, the Caracara is quite an unusual bird. A beautiful bird in a palette of black, white and a yellow that blends to orange or red, it seems to straddle the families of falcon, vulture and well…chicken. Once identified, it is impossible to mistake the Caracara’s striking silhouette, either at rest or in flight. At rest, the Caracara is obviously a powerful raptor; very long of leg, powerful talons, a distinctive beak and bushy crest. In flight; the long neck and tail in combination with the broad wings give it the appearance of a “flying cross”. Considered a medium sized raptor, the Caracara in 19 to 23 inches in length and weighs 1 ¾ to 3 ½ pounds. The wingspan is approximately 48 inches. On average they are heavier than a Red Shouldered Hawk, but slightly smaller than Red Tailed Hawk. At maturity, the cere (a fleshy area along the top of the beak) is usually red or dark orange. When excited this area takes on a distinctively yellow coloration. The cere also give indication of the bird’s maturity and sexual readiness. The Caracara is a slow hunting raptor that prefers an easy meal of fresh carrion, but is just as satisfied with large insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds and mammals. It is often seen walking along the ground or wading in shallow water looking for prey. Believed to [...]