AUDUBON'S CARACARA 133 



and pulled at what it contained. After 35 minutes the old caracara 

 turned the remains of the turtle over to the young birds." 



Behavior. — The flight of the caracara is somewhat like that of the 

 marsh hawk, with frequent turnings, risings, and fallings, but swifter 

 and more graceful, with rapid wing strokes followed by long periods 

 of sailing. Mr. Schutze (1904) describes it as "very straight and 

 rapid" and says: "On a hot summer's day it can sometimes be seen 

 circling high overhead after the manner of a hawk." Dr. Thomas 

 Barbour (1923) says that "the flight is crow-like, direct, fast and 

 with heavy noisy flappings." 



The caracara is quite at home on the ground, where it spends con- 

 siderable time hunting for its prey. We frequently saw one standing 

 on the bank of a roadside ditch, probably looking for dead animals 

 killed by speeding automobiles, or for fish thrown away by fishermen. 

 Its long legs enable it to walk easily, or even run fast, as anyone 

 knows who has chased a wing- tipped bird. 



It is an aggressive bird in pursuit of food and is not afraid to attack 

 even larger birds. I once saw a bald eagle rise from a marshy ham- 

 mock with what looked like a marsh rabbit in its talons; a caracara, 

 two vultures, and a lot of crows immediately gave chase ; the caracara 

 attacked the eagle in the air, plunging down upon it from above ; but 

 they all disappeared behind some trees, and we failed to see what 

 happened. Walter B. Savary writes to me that he "saw a marsh 

 hawk, with a mouse in its claws, trying to escape from three crows 

 that were pursuing it in an endeavor to get the mouse. So close at 

 last were the crows that the hawk let its prey drop ; without checking 

 its flight, the leading crow snatched up the mouse and continued on, 

 to be at once followed by a caracara who, in turn, forced the crow 

 to drop its prize." 



Major Bendire (1892) quotes Capt. B. F. Goss, as follows: 



Brown Pelicans breed in great numbers on an island in the Laguna Madre, off 

 the coast of Texas. When these birds were returning to their breeding ground, 

 with pouches tilled with fish, the Caracaras would attack them until they dis- 

 gorged, and then alight and devour their stolen prey. These attacks were made 

 from above, by suddenly darting down on the Pelicans with shrill screams and 

 striking at them with their talons. I am not certain as to whether they caught 

 any of their prey before it reached the ground. I Baw this maneuver repeated a 

 number of times by a pair of these birds that nested on this island and by others 

 that came from the shore. They did not attack outgoing birds, but invariably 

 waited for the incoming ones, and as soon as these were over land (so that the 

 contents of their pouches should not fall in the water) they pounced on them. 



Dr. Barbour (1923) has seen caracaras chase large birds and says 

 that "Gundlach once saw one chase, tire out and kill a white Ibis." 



H. W. Brandt says, in his Texas notes, that "the abundant scissor- 

 tailed flycatcher makes life miserable for these grand birds by attack- 

 ing them every time they take to the wing. They often perch on the 

 caracara's back for a mile and leave a wake of pulled feathers." W. 



