AUDUBON'S CARACARA 131 



A larger nestling, nearly grown and nearly feathered, is still downy 

 on the sides of the neck and center of the breast; the tail is just 

 sprouting; the crown, occiput, and scapulars are clear "Natal brown", 

 some of the latter edged with "bay"; the feathers of the upper back 

 are "bister" to "snuff brown", with a large terminal wedge of pale 

 buff and a median streak of "bister"; the wing coverts are "Natal 

 brown", edged with "snuff brown" and tipped with pale buff; the 

 throat, sides of the head, neck, and upper breast are "cartridge buff" 

 to "cinnamon-buff" and unspotted; the rest of the under parts are 

 "Verona brown" to "snuff brown", streaked with "cinnamon" or 

 "cinnamon-buff"; the sprouting tail show* a color pattern like the 

 adult tail, but it is barred and broadly tipped with sepia instead of 

 black. 



This juvenal plumage is worn until the following winter or spring, 

 but the time at which the postjuvenal molt begins varies greatly, 

 depending on the date on which the bird was hatched; this is very 

 variable, owing to the prolonged nesting season. I have seen birds 

 in full juvenal plumage in December, February, April, and May, the 

 plumage being decidedly worn in many cases. But usually sometime 

 between January and April a complete postjuvenal molt takes place; 

 I have seen the beginning of this molt as early as January 14 and as 

 late as February 25; and I have seen the molt nearly completed by 

 April 14. 



The body molt comes first, with the appearance of the spotted 

 feathers on the breast, followed by the rest of the body feathers and 

 then by the wings and tail. This molt produces what is probably 

 a second-year, or subadult, plumage. It is like the adult plum- 

 age in pattern, breast spotted with small spots, upper back as in the 

 adult, and abdominal region solidly dark; but the light areas are 

 tinged with buff, not pure white as in the adult, and the dark areas 

 are "warm sepia" or "bister", instead of black. This plumage is 

 worn for about a year, or until the following winter; about December 

 or January, or later, another complete molt occurs, which produces 

 the black-and-white adult plumage. Adults apparently have their 

 complete annual molt later in the winter, or even early in the spring. 

 Some adult males that I have seen are only beginning to molt in 

 March ; the females may molt even later. 



Food. — The caracara shares with the vultures the habit of feeding 

 on carrion, which probably constitutes a large portion of its food. 

 These birds often gather about the slaughterhouses in large numbers 

 with the vultures, to feed on the offal that is thrown out. They also 

 feed on any dead mammal, large or small, bird, or reptile that they 

 can find. They are worthy of protection as good scavengers, as well 

 as destroyers of many harmful rodents and insects, as they hunt and 

 kill many small animals. The following have been recorded in their 



